Star-crossed--What we must-want to protect
by YumenoJigen
Summary: OC insert in canon story. Though we wish for peace, why is there war? Though we wish to be together, why are we apart? Bound by our responsibilities, unable to let go of our dreams and desires, is there a way for us to truly connect? Can a path be uncovered through the meetings and separations of those 3 childhood friends embroiled in war and love?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**** OC insert and canon story. All characters and settings from the Gundam Seed franchise are to be credited back to their rightful owners. No, I'm not one of them (unfortunately). As it is a FANfiction, by definitition I write it only for my and the readers' pleasure and I don't get a single cent from it. But I do claim maternity on my original ideas and characters. I'm sure you'll be able to recognize them on your own. I also want to specify that for some chapters the few phrases at the end are more or less heavily inspired or taken from the show 'Soukyuu no Fafner - Dead Aggressor'**

**I was first attacked by this show's plot bunnies ten years ago but only started writing it last year :3 First written for quizilla but I altered it a little to better fit as we can't post character profiles here. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.**

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><p><strong>Phase-01: False Paradise<strong>

"...The refugee camps in South Africa have been suffering from chronic lack of food and aid items, putting the lives of 1, 2 million people at risk." – "We'll now bring you images from the Kaohsiung front where heavy fighting is taking place. According to information just received, the ZAFT forces have approached to within six kilometres of Kaohsiung. ...".

... Or so the news was playing on a laptop. But here in the space colony of Heliopolis, things were as peaceful as always. Well, it was a neutral colony run by the neutral Orb Union after all. That was only to be expected. It was a sunny day, fitting for the City of the Sun. The weather was quite warm despite the fact it was January 25th. People went about their own business, shopping, strolling in the streets, playing around, resting or playing in the parks... or doing their assigned work in a gazebo. A green robotic bird perched itself onto the laptop where a boy with dark brown hair was compiling data using a notepad as reference. He was dressed in light green pants, and a black shirt with a long white collar and a traditional Japanese feel to it with the separated sleeves and the seem on the right side, and modernized by the buckled red straps linking his sleeves, ornating his chest like Chinese clothing, as well as his pants right below his knees. A black choker was around his neck. The mechanic bird cutely tilted its head, uttering a 'torii'.

"Kira!"

The boy lifted his purple eyes to see his friends Tolle Koenig and Miriallia Haw. Tolle had curly brown hair, soft eyes like mint cream, and a nice face with a jovial expression and character. His simple shirt was the same color as his eyes with its sleeved slightly rolled up, under was a blue tee-shirt and he wore plain jeans. Miriallia (Milly) had short hazel hair that curved outward at the bottom and cerulean blue eyes, a cute face and a sweet, kind and mature personality... although she was a terrible cook, and more independent and strong-willed than she appeared. Her turtle neck, knee length dress was of a zesty orange. Her long sleeves were also separated from the dress and showing her shoulders. Her bodice from her chest down was a light yellow and had front tails.

"So that's where you were! The professor has been looking for you. Huh? Seren's not with you?"

Suddenly, a brown robotic flying squirrel popped up on the fence at Kira's side and then jumped and stuck itself against Tolle's face, almost covering it completely. With difficulty, the student managed to detach the limpet-like object. He approached, leant forward, and saw a girl with reddish chestnut brown hair that fell down to her shoulders, sitting on the grass, her back to the gazebo. She was wearing a short sleeved teal tunic, opened at the shoulders and whose hem rose up at the sides, an asymmetric peach-yellow jacket that fell lower on the right hip and the left side was enhanced by two to three long creases. Her cropped pants stopping just below her knees were of the same color as her jacket but of a lighter shade. At her feet were teal ankle-high boots decorated by a buckled strap. They had four centimeters light wood-like heels. And at her neck was hanging a stone of a coral hue held and fastened by a brown leather string. She also had a laptop on her lap. A number of windows were open: a chess game, a shogi game, pictures of experiments, scientific data on natural and genetic modifications of plants... as well as her work for Morgenroete Incorporated.

"Ah, there she is too!"

"Tche, I've been found out." She cursed, her hazel eyes still fixed on her laptop. "It's all because of you Chacha!" She angrily waved a fist at her squirrel that was now flying in circles before her, as if taunting her before landing on Milly's shoulder. The amused short-haired girl petted him affectionately.

"But still I can't believe you can do this much."

"I am a woman. Of course I can multitask. My opponents aren't very good this time so it's fine." Although she kept quiet about the all-nighter she had pulled to get most of her work for the Morgenroete done and only leave the finishing touch for today. She might kind of like to hear their nagging that she should take better care of herself and not concentrate so much on something that she'd forget to eat or sleep... (because nagging means caring) but much more than that, she really disliked unduly worrying them. It was not like an all-nighter or two or three or four or five would kill her after all. Well, she did have some unhealthy habits, but that was fine, really. She preferred by far when they were smiling and having fun.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"Come on, professor Kato ordered us to bring you two over once we found you."

Kira and Seren whined. It was natural for them to help the professor but the boy had not finished the previous assignment that had been given to him and the girl had hoped she could finally work on her hobby. Nonetheless, she shut her computer and stood up. The others smiled. She might complain or grumble, but in the end she always helped and took extra good care of them. She was the type whose actions were more revealing of her true self than her words. Well, that was only when people asked things of her... And to hide how much she really cared. Usually she was quite frank and friendly, yet without meaning to, she had a tendency to secrecy and cold distance, and her dry wit had vexed more than one person in the past.

She wanted to help better mankind yes, but that didn't mean she'd pour her heart to just anyone and everyone. She took little trouble to cultivate acquaintances that did not appeal to her (and with those she could be quite cold, merciless, uncaring and scornfully, caustically ironic and cynical) and did not truly give herself easily... perhaps because her instinct and judgment of human nature was too good for that. And since she was so fiercely independent, she disliked interference by others, however helpfully intended, and would only accept it on her own terms. And while she was habitually a calm and moderate person, simmering anger and resentment might cause blunt harshness or worse, a tense, threatening silence which might suddenly burst out in eruptions of extreme temper. Because of that she didn't have many friends.

But when she judged someone worth it she became a tenacious friend faithful for life and ready to sacrifice anything for her comrades. She upheld sincerity and truth more than anything. Well, she wasn't so naïve that she'd expect anything like that of people in general, but when it came to people she would consider as close friends or family, lying or pretending was not something she could easily forgive or accept. In this war-torn world, to be able trust and be trusted to such an extent was an irreplaceable treasure. She was liked for her strength and depth of character and her open, genial, humane, persevering and sometimes cute, tsundere-like personality... But her intelligent, logical, clear and quick mind, her all too sharp intuition that bordered on clairvoyance tended to scare people, or at least make them a bit wary and sometimes bitter. Although her appearance made for a nice bonus...: deep, rich, warm, lustrous, reddish chestnut brown hair, an attractive, well-proportioned, physically fit body, a charming face with regular features, smooth lightly tanned skin with a healthy glow, a piquant smile, and witty hazel eyes that could look at her chosen people with disarming honesty and discernment.

The news on Kira's laptop was still playing about Kaohsiung. At Tolle's request, he enlarged the window to full screen dimensions. Behind the journalist in his bulletproof vest, ZAFT Mobile Suits were devastating the city. If this was from last week, then Kaohsiung had probably already fallen... Milly was worried because Kaohsiung was pretty close from here, but her boyfriend reassured her.

"You shouldn't worry about that. Even though they're close by, we're a neutral entity. There's no chance Orb would become a battlefield."

"Really? It's okay if that's the case."

The war... as they saw Torii and Chacha flying together, Kira and Seren were reminded of another day three years ago... it was on the moon, in Copernicus City where they had been attending a preparatory school for years. And it was also where they had met. Or more exactly, she and Kira had met in the shuttle that had taken them from Orb to the moon. And on the moon they had befriended a boy, who was like them, a boy with dark blue hair down to his neck and kind emerald green eyes. He was really kind, smart, reliable, but a bit quiet and reserved, and awkward too, sometimes. And he hated war. His father had called him back to PLANT, and on an alley bordered by blooming cherry trees, he had come to say his goodbyes and give them parting gifts...

"There really won't be a war... between the PLANTs and Earth." He had handed Kira the green bird and Seren the flying squirrel. "I don't think there's any point in evacuating but... eventually you'll also be coming to PLANT, right, Kira, Seren?"

Tolle snapped the two from their daydream, scaring them, and they left together.

Outside the colony, a ship from the Earth Alliance entered the port. The captain took his hat off and let it float away. With that, this ship's last mission had been completed without a hitch. He thanked Lieutenant Flaga for having safely escorted the ship here.

"No, we're lucky that nothing happened en route." The handsome blonde-haired, blue eyed, 28-year-old mobile armor pilot answered politely with a smile. "Any activity on ZAFT ships in this area?"

They were tracking two, but even if they entered the port, they couldn't do anything.

"A neutral nation, right? What a joke."

"But thanks to that, the plan has been able to proceed this far." The captain laughed indeed. The fact is that Orb is a part of Earth." Then crew members saluted and left. Mu La Flaga asked if it was really alright for these people only to disembark but they were the top guns who had been chosen to be the G pilots. There was no problem. It was better for people like him to go home instead of pacing around attracting attention.

Behind an asteroid, two ZAFT ships were observing the colony. And two sub vehicles had left in direction of the colony. The captain Fredrick Ades of the Nazca-class destroyer Vesalius was troubled. He didn't think it would be too late to wait for the answer of the Supreme Council. But the masked Commander Rau le Creuset disagreed. It WOULD be too late, his sixth sense was telling him so. If they let things slip by now, they would eventually have to pay for these actions with their lives... They had to move quickly and seize the Earth Army's new mobile suits before they were transported away from here...

When Tolle, Milly, Kira, and Seren arrived at the free car rental service, they saw popular red haired Flay Allster being teased by her two friends. Since she and Miriallia were friends they greeted each other. The girls (Seren excluded) immediately struck a conversation about how Flay had got a letter from Sai Argyle and wouldn't tell them about it. Kira was shocked. Tolle looked at him and smiled knowingly. Seren turned away, uninterested by the discussion but slightly riled at Kira's reaction. She knew he had always found Flay cute which was true physically. She always dressed and did her hair elegantly with a romantic feel to it. Her front locks were gathered at the back of her head in a high ponytail. Her ultra pink turtle neck knee-length dress had long puffy sleeves, and a knotted ribbon at her left hip. She looked and behaved like a princess in a doll-house. But Seren had never liked her, although she didn't hate her either. There was just something that didn't sit well with her, something that was wrong. But she had no idea what. She had no idea why each time she would stare in Flay's eyes that were the dark bluish gray of a storm cloud she would imagine them distorted with hatred, disgust and rejection. She trusted her instinct though. Someone coughed behind them, politely attracting their attention. It was a woman with short black hair and black sunglasses. She was accompanied by two men.

"If you aren't getting on, may we go first?"

"Ah, sorry, please do." All the youths stepped back to let them pass. The three boarded a white car and drove away, just as Flay got tired of her friends' teasing. The next empty white car stopped, its four doors opening automatically. They got in and drove away too. Tolle teased Kira. A letter from Sai. How unexpected, Flay Allster. But it sounded like a formidable enemy had appeared before Kira Yamato-kun. Milly laughed as Kira vainly tried to deny the implied meaning behind his friend's words. Seren snorted inaudibly. For the same reasons as earlier, she didn't believe Flay was one for him, although that was only her yet baseless personal opinion so she never mentioned it to anyone. Then again, it was obvious from the way she acted as she was not the type to bother trying to hide it. And when asked why, she would only reply an indifferent 'who knows' with a tone clearly expressing how troublesome it would be for her to think about a proper answer that she couldn't really give anyway. They boarded a car too and Kira drove to the Morgenroete Factory where the four of them, and Sai Argyle, and Kuzzey Buskirk worked as robotic engineering students.

"How peaceful it is here..." The young black haired woman took her sunglasses off, revealing her purple eyes. The car was driven by one of her companions who asked what she had meant. "And yet, youths around that age are already being sent to the front lines..."

On the asteroid side of the colony, a group of people landed, six wearing olive green suits and six wearing red suits. Heavy metallic gates opened, revealing a tunnel. The passage was barred with a number of lasers, but they were deactivated. They entered.

Kira, Seren, Tolle and Miriallia arrived at the Morgenroete factory. Kira passed his ID card. Once their identities as students from Professor Kato's seminar class were confirmed in the control room, they were allowed in. Tolle was still teasing him about the letter, saying he was gonna ask Sai if he didn't dare to. And Seren on the other front seat was stubbornly looking away.

They entered a room full of computers and instruments and in the middle was what looked like a robotic cosmonaut suit. Two other friends were already there, Kuzzey Buskirk... and Sai Argyle, who rejoiced that Kira and Seren had – finally – arrived. But there was also someone else. A person with blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders, a hat, and a brown coat. Seren approached the visitor and stared curiously for a moment before going to her desk. That person seemed awfully familiar but for some reason she couldn't remember where she had seen her. It was strange since she usually had quite a good memory. Kuzzey told Tolle that she was the professor's guest, apparently she had been told to wait here. Kira and Seren asked where the said professor was. He had summoned them and he wasn't here?!

At a crossroad, the intruders in green and red suits looked down through a grid and saw a large white ship with some touches of red. After a few sign exchanges, they divided themselves into equal groups and split up. And each fixed a bomb at a strategic place...

Sai handed Kira and Seren their new work, which, as they thought, was boring.

"And where's the professor? Don't tell me he's gone off somewhere while leaving us with all the work, that slave-driving, no-good professor." Seren asked threateningly.

"Now, now, isn't it because he has acknowledged our abilities that he leaves us alone more and more often, especially yours, Seren, Kira." Sai, too, over the time, had grown used to handling the girl.

"Well, that may be... but still!"

Then Tolle engaged Kira in an immobilizing hold, his right forearm against his neck and his left forearm under Kira's left arm.

"More importantly, ask him about the letter!" Tolle 'menaced' his friend. Sai didn't know which letter they were talking about. The purple-eyed boy stammered it was nothing. He didn't have the guts to ask. But Tolle insisted and tightened his grip. And like this they kept bickering until Milly told them to stop as Kira was choking. While they weren't looking, the blonde guest tried to open the door to the professor's office but it was locked. However, she had been seen by a dark brown haired girl. She was more interesting than the usual bickering... with the fact that she was a new head, and she was always curious about new heads... especially since she couldn't help but feel she knew her despite having no memory of it, and the fact that the professor rarely brought that sort of guest, and that this rude guest would try to open the door when she thought no one was looking...

"It's time." Le Creuset declared. The captain Ades ordered to clear all moorings. The Vesalius was taking off! In one of the colony's control room and all Earth Army ships, the alarm rang. Heliopolis contacted the ZAFT ships but there was no response. The chief controller took the device.

"Notice to the approaching ZAFT vessels! Your actions are in violation of a treaty with our nation! Stop your ships at once! ZAFT vessels! Stop your ships at once!" However, there was no answer. Even worse, a powerful electrical interference was coming from the ZAFT vessels! This was clearly an act of hostility! Mobile suits launched from the Laurassia-class and the Nazca-class battleships.

Tension was rising inside the two Earth Alliance vessels hidden within the colony. The captain of the largest one ordered everyone to calm down, and let Heliopolis take care of that. Panicking would be playing in the enemy's hands. They had to continue supplying the ship. He then told the short black haired woman from earlier – and her fellow soldier who had been driving the car – to go get Lieutenant Ramius and commence transfer of the G-weapons. They obeyed and left. The commander of the Vesalius informed his subordinates that they would move in once they had crushed the mine area. Defensive weapons left the colony to attack the Ginns while inside, everyone remained completely oblivious. Flay was shopping with her friends, like many, many others. The robotic engineering students were doing their work, or trying to, because of Tolle's involuntarily messing around, his girlfriend sighing, Kuzzey failing to save him, and the others typing on the computer, supervising things, or laughing.

A woman with medium golden brown hair down to her shoulders, wearing a green cap and an ocre working suit ordered everyone to hurry to the Archangel when suddenly, a series of large explosions took place, many around the large legged white ship. Its captain was killed along with all those in that room. The blast reached those who were in the shaft like the black haired woman. The whole colony shook. Mu La Flaga headed out in his Moebius mobile armor and asked the captain of his own ship to leave too. The port was going to be taken over. The Ginns destroyed the defensive weaponry and some entered Heliopolis.

Standing on a promontory, the intruders who had stealthily infiltrated earlier had seen what they had been looking for: the new mobile suits developed by Orb and the Earth Alliance. They were there, just like Commander Le Creuset had told them. His friend agreed. "If we poke them, they'll come out of their hole." It had really been exactly as their commander had said. Naturals were stupid after all. The Ginns received the coordinates. Miguel Aiman felicitated Yzac for his usual efficiency. And they headed in that direction.

Just outside the space colony, the battle was still raging. But the defenses were overwhelmed by ZAFT's superior skills and weaponry. The only one who could actually put up a fight was La Flaga thanks to his high special awareness resulting in his celebrated proficiency at employing the remotely controlled gunbarrels pods of his orange TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero.

"Lieutenant Ramius! We've lost contact with the ship! Situation's unclear!" Someone said to the brown-haired woman with the green cap. Suddenly, two Ginns attacked the convoy. She got down, avoiding damage, cursed ZAFT, and ordered to prepare the X105, the X216 and the X303 for combat. They had to get them out the factory district! She ran to the factory while the pilots in the ZAFT mobile suits shot down all the military vehicles they could see.

In the shaking factory, the electricity had stopped working time ago. The engineering students opened the door and asked the evacuating personnel what was going on. ZAFT was attacking. Mobile suits had entered the colony! They had to hurry up and evacuate too! The blond guest gasped and started running in the wrong direction, followed by a curious and concerned Seren. That blondie seemed to know things one wouldn't expect her to... Tolle screamed after them. Kira told him they'd be back soon and chased after the girls.

Military jeeps attempted to retaliate but their rockets were evaded and they were shot down too.

"Destroy everything we can't carry." Yzac ordered. "According to the report there should six units. Are the three others still inside?" He wondered.

"Rusty, Luke and I will go. Yzac, you guys take these three."

"Okay, we'll leave it to you. When you board them, immediately disarm the self-destruct first." The twelve landed and instantly engaged the enemy.

Kira grabbed the two runaway girls, and chided the one he didn't know for going the wrong way and the one he knew for not stopping her (and letting her curiosity get the best of her). The blonde girl told them both off for having followed her and that THEY should hurry up and run. Suddenly, there was an explosion behind them, blowing their hair and the guest's hat. The gust died down but the air was thick was smoke and dust.

"A... girl?" Kira muttered, looking surprised at the unknown blonde.

"What did you think I was until now?" She retorted. The boy stammered a little. "Just go! There's something I want to check here first!"

"That's easy to say! To where? We can't exactly go back!" Yamato shot back. The girl glared at him. Because of their indecisiveness, Seren took her by the hand just as her childhood friend took her other hand. They ran down a passage.

"Let go of me, you idiots!"

"Idi-"

"Hey, y-" However, both stopped when they saw her crying.

"To think things would turn out this way... I..."

"Don't worry! We'll be saved!" Kira began.

"There should still be shelters left in the factory district!" Seren added.

Tolle, Mirillia, Sai, Kuzzey, and others left the building to see a Ginn firing. In the factory, the shooting continued. Suddenly a red suit collapsed, dead.

"Luke!" One of his friends yelled in anguish and threw a hand grenade in retaliation, killing his murderer and a few more people.

Kira, Seren, and the girl bolted from the hallway and stopped against the railings. Below them, three grey mobile suits, different from any ZAFT mobile suits, were lying down. And around them, between the containers and the supplying trucks, the battle was taking place. There was an explosion. The blonde girl sank on her knees and started sobbing again.

"I knew it... the Earth Forces' new model of mobile weapons... FATHER, YOU TRAITOR!" She yelled, in intense emotional distress. The noise alerted Lieutenant Ramius of their presence. She aimed at them. Kira and Seren noticed it, took the fallen girl by the wrists and dragged her away. Crying was no good now, they had to run! The older woman shot once but stopped when she remarked they were children. Away on the road, two of the stolen mobile suits rose from their transport trucks. Yzak Joule and Dearka Elsman had finished updating and calibrating the OS. Yzac especially was quite appreciative of his new 'toy'. A few seconds later, the machine controlled by Nicol Amalfi stood up too. Dearka worriedly complained about the lateness of the three others, but Yzac was sure they'd be fine if it was them. In any case, they were heading back now with these three. And while they and one Ginn took flight to return to Commander Le Creuset, Kira, Seren, and the female stranger arrived before a shelter door. They contacted them only to find out it was practically full. It was impossible for three, but if it was only one person it would be alright. And so the two students forced the other in before running toward the 37th shelter. They looked down. The battle was still going on. The woman who had almost shot them told 'Hamana' and 'Brian' to get the units started.

"Behind you!" Two voices warned her. Instinctively, she turned around and shot the man in a green suit, killing him. She was shocked to see it was two of the kids from earlier who had alerted her. Suddenly, her ally at her left was shot down. She leapt, took his place and his weapon and killed his murderer. She yelled at the teens to come but they turned her down. They were going to the shelter in the other block.

"There's nothing but a door there!" And at the youngsters' left, there was an explosion. They had no choice but to come down. "This way!" She ran up the giant robot's leg. The two youngsters jumped down on its chest. Then, another ZAFT soldier in a red suit was shot down. He had been firing from behind a car.

"Rusty!" In a fit of rage, the last red suit of this squad left his hiding place and ran toward the mobile weapon, firing away, killing the one who had killed his comrade. Ramius cried the name of her friend, aimed at his killer, but was shot in the shoulder. Kira and Seren hurried to her. When the enemy noticed his weapon was empty he threw it away and drew his combat knife before lunging at them. Seeing that, the dark brown-haired girl charged at him, ready to protect her friend no matter the cost. After all, it was in fear of that very moment that she had practiced hand to hand combat. But upon recognizing the aggressor despite the helmet he was wearing, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"A...thrun...?" She uttered in complete disbelief, her hazel eyes staring into his shocked emerald ones.

"What?" Kira said, just as incredulous, looking above her shoulder.

"Seren...?! Kira...?!" Athrun exclaimed, also freezing in his tracks, as disbelieving as his childhood friends, the moment of their goodbyes replaying in their minds. Taking advantage of the confusion, Ramius aimed at him again but he backed away before she could shoot. She shoved Kira in the cockpit and was going to do the same with Seren but she stopped her, saying she was going to pilot the last one and protect it.

"Can you really pilot one of those things?!"

"Since I must, I will." Seren replied with utter certainty, going to the last unit.

_How can I leave it to ZAFT if they're just going to cause more destruction like here?!_ And amid the smoke and flames and continuous explosions, Athrun and Seren boarded their units. And in the blazing inferno, the three giants moved and rose, their eyes glowing.

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><p>This was the beginning of our journey. If we can live through this, let's not forget our smiles up to today. Someday, we will return to paradise. We had no doubt about it.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's**** note:**** It has been brought to my attention that I needed to clarify a few things. I decided to write 'Miri' as 'Milly' to make it easier for the readers to get the pronunciation right by anglicizing its spelling. So I have no intention to change that. Now I started writing this story using a version of the subbed series which had transliterated 'Yzak' as 'Yzac'. Since it isn't something major, I left it at that and it has kind of become a mechanism. However, I am willing to change it if you want. Please give me your opinion by review or PM and enjoy this second chapter.****  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Phase-02: Ignited<strong>

The Earth Army officer told Kira to go behind the seat while she activated the unit she was in. The logo of the Oppose Militancy & Neutralize Invasion enforcers (the military force of the Earth Alliance) appeared on screen, followed by General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver, or, if you only looked at the first letter in a vertical way: GUNDAM, and at last, the power indicator. In the other two units, the same thing was happening. And in the blazing inferno, the three giants moved and rose, their eyes glowing.

In Heliopolis, a level 8 of evacuation had been initiated. Many people were running toward the closest shelters, including Sai, Tolle, Miriallia, and Kuzzey. There was another large explosion right where they were headed, and suddenly, from the smoke, three mobile suits appeared and landed further away, one near a GINN. Its pilot, Athrun, immediately told his ally, Miguel, that Rusty and Luke had failed. One unit was piloted by an Earth army officer but he wasn't sure about the other. He hadn't been able to see well because of the flames and smoke. And while surveying the surroundings, both Kira and Seren noticed their friends desperately running away to take cover. The girl watched them, and the ZAFT soldiers before her. They were two. And they were two here too... There was no guarantee Athrun – if that was really him, and she prayed it was not the case – would simply go back with his own unit. Would he help the GINN so it wouldn't be in the unfavorable situation of two against one, especially since he knew about her, and Kira? Would he choose to close his eyes and try to convince himself the people in these machines were not his childhood friends, that, since he wanted to see them again so much he had mistaken youths resembling them for them? Or would he shirk away from fighting them because they were friends? Would he stay and fight to make sure they were who he was thinking about? And since his mission was certainly to capture the units... Aaargh... DAMN IT!

Seren took the keyboard and started typing with inhuman speed. Damn it all again! Who were they kidding with this OS?! She cursed again, just as the GINN fired at the mobile suit before her, which stumbled. It then attacked with its sword. The suit dodged the first slash by jumping back but the shock made Kira lose his balance and almost fall on the woman. The GINN charged again, just as his pilot ordered the pilot of the stolen unit to take care of the other, meaning her. They should have it easy, against those stupid naturals... The officer pressed a button, the unit changed color and the swing was blocked.

In her own unit, Seren was still typing. The reconfiguration of the O-moment controls and CPG, the connection of the machine's vision directly to the aiming module, the optimization of the neural linkage network, the correction of the deviations, the connection of the movement routines, the update and upgrade of the system, the control and redistribution of the energy, the verifications of the weapons... what were those weapons? Two "Igelstellung" 75mm multi-barrel CIWS guns mounted on the head whose light projectiles were used to intercept missiles and to destroy lightly armored vehicles. Two "Blinkenschlag" whips which could either pierce armor or wound around it to capture it. Oh! The wires could also send electric charges. They were mounted under the forearms. However, it was possible for some pilots to withstand the shock... A pair of folding "Armor Schneider" combat knives were stored in the thighs. They didn't need power from the suit. A pair of beam sabers that could be joined at their pommels in one two bladed weapons were stored in the hips. And last was the Svalinn Shield fixed to its right arm and designed to increase the Blast's defensive capability. Its special coating allowed it to absorb and spread the energy of beam weapons to a certain extent and convert it into power for the unit.

She looked up to see a red mobile suit charging at her. She activated the phase-shift system, shot him with the igelstellung mounted at the sides of her unit's head, and blocked a beam saber with one of her own. Tche... so that guy too would attack in such a place... She punched the enemy but was blocked. However she had anticipated that much, since that guy was the pilot. She knocked him with a kick and took flight. He soon chased after her.

Meanwhile, the Earth forces mobile suit was having great difficulty doing the simplest movements and had only survived the GINN's attacks due to its phase shift armor. And because there were civilians, and especially friends down there who could get crushed by the giants or falling rubble, Kira was forced to intervene and managed to dodge a sword strike aiming at the head before ramming into the enemy, knocking him away. While it was getting up, he took the woman's place as the pilot, and instantly did the same calibration work his female childhood friend had done a few seconds earlier, and with similar – although softer – comments concerning the OS, allowing the OMNI officer to soon realize his true identity. The pilot in the GINN cursed and attacked again. Kira shot at his head with the igelstellung. It did little effect but it was enough to slow him down. The EA mobile suit dodged the slash and punched him away.

In the sky, the battle was still going on. The red unit was trying to shoot her with its energy beam rifle. She managed to skillfully dodge them but without range weapon there was nothing she could do, and even worst, every shot that did not touch her damaged the colony and risked killing or injuring those who had not yet reached a shelter... including her friends...! She charged, full of fear for those she loved and anger for those who would threaten them.

"Stop it! How dare you involve civilians?! How many people do you intend to kill until you're satisfied?! This is a neutral space colony! What's so wrong with wanting to leave peacefully... naturals and coordinators alike?!" Seren yelled, ragingly.

"Seren...? Seren Ashford?!"

"Athrun... Zala?!"

And both remembered, after Athrun had given Kira and Seren their parting gifts, she had come alone to find him. She had blocked his path and looked straight at him before liquid beaded at the corner of her hazel eyes and she had burst into tears. Unlike Kira who had always been a crybaby, it was only the second time she had ever cried before him. The first time had been when she had told him and Kira about how her mother had been killed by Blue Cosmos just a year prior to her coming on the moon. At loss, he had taken her in his arms, and she had hugged him back for dear life. She was scared, scared of the future, scared of what might happen. He had tried to comfort her but without much success. She wanted him to promise that they would always be friends, always... and he had promised. But still, she had been unable to believe him, and as proof, he had given her a kiss on the cheek...

On the ground, the GINN had changed tactics and tried to shoot the white unit down. However, Kira managed to avoid all shells and combat knife in hand, activated the thrusters and lunged.

"In a place like this... stop!" He stopped just before him, ducked, and planted the first knife in the GINN's shoulder joint. Sparks flew. He planted the second one at the new. Sparks showered him again. No response from the hydraulics, port-side movement system halted... the ZAFT mobile suit pilot activated the self-destruct system and ejected. Lieutenant Ramius told Kira to get away quickly but it was too late. The mobile weapon exploded, blowing them away. Luckily, the boy's four friends had managed to hide behind a building so they weren't caught up.

Outside, in space, the ship that had escorted the G-pilots was damaged a ZAFT suit, and, unable to navigate, crashed against the colony and exploded. Mu La Flaga cursed. Was there really nothing to be done about the difference in their forces' abilities?! With the help of his gunbarrels, he avenged the ship he had been on, dismembering the GINN before shooting it down. And thanks to him, the ZAFT Laurasia-class Aurora, also suffered heavy damage. The Captain Ades couldn't believe one their fellow ship Aurora could have been shot down in such a measly battle. But Le Creuset had already sensed the presence of the "somewhat irritating fly still buzzing around". They then received a laser beam communication from Miguel Aiman. It was an emergency. To think he had been forced to abandon his unit... the Commander then asked the captain to relay the order to leave the two last ones as they were. The Aurora retreated, but Rau le Creuset had boarded his own mobile suit and was now engaging Mu in combat. Just like Rau could sense his presence, Mu could sense his.

"So it was really you, Seren... what are you doing, piloting one of those things?!"

"That's my line! What are you doing attacking Heliopolis... attacking Orb?! I thought you hated war, just like us...! If only you guys hadn't come, I would have never gotten into that!" She furiously slashed with her beam saber.

"Stop that!" Athrun blocked with his shield. He disengaged. "You still want to side with those people, with those Naturals who hid such things here while pretending to be neutral?!"

"Like hell! Who said I was siding with those Earth Alliance bastards?! I only got on this thing because I didn't want to die, and I don't want you guys to kill my friends either!"

"Then we don't have to fight each other! We're not enemies! Now lower your saber, and hand this unit. I have orders to bring it back to ZAFT. Come with me!" There was a long silence full of hopeful expectations and conflicts, all the more violent as they were silent...

"...I can't..." The girl's quivering voice declared after a pause.

"What?"

"I can't come with you... And I can't give it to you!" She affirmed again with more determination. "I can't let you guys use it to cause more destruction and suffering like you did today! And whatever you say, I believe in Orb. Some people might have succumbed to pressure from the Earth Alliance... But I still believe in the Orb Union and what it represents! I still believe that Coordinators and Naturals can live in peace! That's why I don't want to fight you guys... and you Athrun least of all!"

"Don't be so naïve! This is war! And you belong with us! Come with me... if you don't... don't force me to shoot you! I already lost my mother in Junius 7...I don't want to lose you too!"

"And I lost mine to the Blue Cosmos! But I have my father, and I have my friends! If fighting Naturals means fighting them too, then you can forget it! I will never join ZAFT against them! Athrun... I will not attack you, but I cannot let you attack us either!" By then both wanted to cry... Each word would leave their mouths like fragmentation bombs, injuring them both, piercing their hearts with icy shrapnel... Their hearts would bleed, scream, writhe, agonize, and still keep going. Marvelling in, longing, craving, and yet resenting the other's presence, all to the point of intolerability... the only one able to hurt them so deeply and the only one who could heal these same gaping wounds were they at their side. And both resented the other for being part of the enemy faction, for preferring to fight than be with them as they should... Then Athrun's green eyes shone with new found determination.

"Seren... I will take you with me even if I have to force you...!" He activated all his beam sabers and attacked. As long as he damaged her mobile suit enough while being careful not damage it too much, he could capture her, and with time, he could convince her!

"Don't steal my lines!" Seren shouted back. As long as she could capture him and she could have enough time to convince him! She let him close in, and at the last second, parried a saber with her own, slid against his shield and turned to be behind him and launched the Blinkenschlag whips. The spikes pierced the armor. In the same time, her knee blades pierced his unit's legs, she sent electricity through the wires of her blinkenshlag and fired her CIWS to damage the red gundam's head. The electricity rippled through his body, contracted by the pain. But due to his training as a soldier he withstood the attack and managed to recover, kick her away, and escape. After all, he was really exceptionally skilled. He had thought for a second that it might have been good to be captured, if it was really her, but then had berated himself. He needed time to reorganize. However, she was not through with him. Taking advantage of her unit's mobility, she did everything she could to keep hold on him, just like she would in a hand to hand combat situation with their own bodies. But of course, it couldn't be so easy. He perfectly reacted to each of her moves as if his body was acting on its own and he shook her off. She pursed him in vain... until it became too foolish and dangerous to continue. And she returned to her friends, taking note to fill in a complaint list with as topmost position: 'don't go making such things in a neutral colony you heartless traitorous bastards!' or something like that. Although nothing serious, her gundam had been damaged too. He had also been careful to avoid the cockpit. Killing that girl was the last thing he wanted. Being forced to retreat like this had left them with a detestable aftertaste in their mouths, and transparent liquid beading at the corner of their eyes.

Corpses and various objects were floating about in the large white ship's shaft. The woman with short black hair woke up to a light bump against the wall. She noticed one of her companions dead and mourned for a few seconds before preoccupying herself with the ship Archangel. The young purple eyed officer entered the smoke, dust, and debris filled control room of the Archangel.

"Is there anyone?" The partly burnt cap of the captain floated into her hands, but otherwise only a heavy silence answered her. She started sobbing, loneliness and despair clutching her as surely as death had gripped all the people in that room. "Damn... Are there any survivors?!" For a time, there was nothing until she heard banging on metal. A young man kicked the plate away, entered, and directed his torchlight at her, and when he recognized her, averted it so she wouldn't be blinded.

"Ensign Badgiruel? Thank goodness you're alright!" It was Chief Petty Officer Arnold Neumann, who had been at her side when they had passed the students in Heliopolis.

The brown haired female officer woke up on a bench. Milly, who had bandaged her with Seren's help, warned Kira and Seren. Kira came... and apologized for having done something irresponsible. Seren brought water and handed it with a strange look in her eyes. She gratefully accepted.

Seren... ever since she had gotten off the mobile suit she had been strange, silent, upset, shaken, and she had been thinking... She'd look at them and smile. For them she had fought and will certainly fight again. They were her precious friends. But Athrun was really precious to her too. And yet... was there really no other choice? If she stopped, she could live without having to fight him. But was it really alright to let things like this, to leave him like this? And then there was Kira. Athrun was precious to them both. Neither of them wanted to fight him, just like he didn't want to fight them. No, they didn't want to fight at all. Then why? She had answered on impulse back then, but after all, they really didn't have a choice. Athrun wouldn't give up. Which was why it was particularly difficult for her to be with Kira. She would look into his eyes, try to speak, and the words would be caught in her throat, she'd feel her eyes moisten too much, and she'd turn away. Because no matter what she'd say, or think, she was the one who really couldn't accept what had happen, that that guy could be their enemy... And she knew only too well how much suffering Kira would be in if she told him and if he had to fight him... since she felt that exact same pain in her heart, as if it was being torn apart...

Anyway, things would certainly only get worse from now on which meant the alert would be raised and they would be unable to go to a shelter. Besides, whatever the reason, they had seen something they shouldn't have. It was unlikely they would be allowed to go just like this.

Wait, this situation... weren't those units being transported somewhere in those trucks? Since they were for the Earth alliance then certainly back to Earth... and for that you'd need a ship. And since they couldn't go to the shelters then they wouldn't have a choice, even if it was battleship. Was this ship still here? Was it fine? But ZAFT was going to be waiting to attack them again... Was it possible for this ship to leave without her and Kira having to fight? Probably not... There was a good chance it was already destroyed. And if it was not, did they have enough supplies? If they didn't they would have no other choice but to go to the closest base. And even then, it would be unwise to expect a smooth trip and a warm welcome... with the gundams – and who knows, maybe even the ship – being a top secret of the Atlantic Federation. And if on top of that, there were Coordinators on board... Naturals were indeed pretty stupid with that much internal strife. That was certainly a good part of the reason why they were so hard pressed... She had heard rumors concerning the state of affairs between the different parties that constituted the Earth Alliance, because even though she lived in a neutral and peaceful country, she hated being caught unprepared and not knowing anything and always looked for whatever information she could about the war outside...

Anyway, it would certainly take a long time before they could leave somewhere really safe. Ultimately, either the moon or the Earth... But it would certainly take a month if things went reasonably well, and there were so many factors that could make it go wrong... and there was no telling how much they would have to fight. Because they couldn't surrender, and they couldn't die... So... there was really no choice but to fight...?

Suddenly, they heard Tolle in the cockpit and Kuzzey standing near, saying this gundam was amazing and wondering if it could move... and Sai yelling at them from the ground not to play around with it. Tolle left the cockpit. Kuzzey asked why it had become grey again, to which his friend answered that it was because the main battery must be off. When the Phase-shift system was activated, the machines changed colors. Seren's unit was dominantly white with a black cockpit and red and gold touches on the cockpit and hips. There was a little black on the shoulders and legs and a little gold on the shoulders too. The top half of the shield was red, its lower half was black, a part in the middle was gold, and its outer edge was white. Kira's mobile suit was mostly white too, with a blue and red cockpit and red feet.

"Get away from that unit!" The officer shot above their heads, scaring them. She stood up and approached. Kira instantly went to stop her. It was they who had carried her while she was unconscious. She aimed at the brown haired boy. "I appreciate the fact that you saved me. But that's a top secret of the army. It's not something that civilians are allowed to meddle with."

"Pointing a gun at us... you sure have a strange way of showing appreciation... And who do you think kept those two remaining top secrets from falling into ZAFT's hands? You shouldn't have put them in a colony of civilians to begin with. You shouldn't have endangered us all!" Seren fiercely glared at the officer, her words echoing those a certain person had said not an hour earlier. It was certainly considered dangerous to act like this against an officer with a gun aimed at her but right now she didn't care about that. But no matter how much she resented it, nothing could be done about what had happened and they had no time for such arguments when they could come back at any moment. And the woman knew it too. Tolle and Kuzzey had gotten down. She gathered everyone together and asked them their names. They all did as asked.

"I am Murrue Ramius. I'm a commissioned officer of the Earth Alliance. My apologies, but things have come to a situation where I can't let you go anymore. Regardless of what happened, you people have seen a top military secret. Until I contact the appropriate authorities to decide your arrangements, you will have to stay with me." The others tried to protest while Seren listened without a word. She had already expected such things to happen. They didn't have a choice. All that was left was to accept it. But even though she did, that did not stop her from innerly burning with an intensely cold fire. As Sai said, it was true they were neutral civilians. And why was the Earth army in Heliopolis anyway? That was why everything had turned this way. The commissioned officer shot in the sky. "Shut up! Kids who don't know anything... saying that it doesn't concern you because you're neutral, you can't really be still thinking like that. A top secret of the earth army is here. And you have all seen it. That is your reality now."

And Seren also agreed with her. As unreasonable as it was, they had no choice but to accept it, at least for now. War WAS unreasonable. And it WAS war, between Earth and the PLANTs, between Coordinators and Naturals, in the world outside their own...

And indeed, outside, war was still going on between Mu La Flaga and Rau Le Creuset. But then, Rau entered Heliopolis. And Mu followed him.

In the Archangel, Arnold Neumann and Natarle Badgiruel were evaluating the situation. The few who had survived were those who had already been on board when the explosion occurred. Most were workers. They didn't know about the ZAFT ships. They already had their hands full just surveying their surroundings. They turned the power on and looked at the damage state. Almost everything was fine, but they still hadn't cleared the debris near the port entrance. It was completely blocked. The ensign tried to contact someone but the communications were still jammed. Then the attack on the port and the ships had been a diversion...? And ZAFT's real target was Morgenroete? She cursed again. What was the situation in the city? And the G? But suddenly, although intermittent, she received a signal...

"This... 105 Strike... Earth Army... respond..."

And another although weaker...

"Respond... 216 Blast... Earth... please..."

On the ground, at Lieutenant Ramius' request (polite order), Kira and Seren had to try and contact the Archangel or any allied ship that could be around at regular intervals, from the GAT-X105 Strike and the GAT-X216 Blast. However, all they could hear was interferences. Meanwhile, Sai and the others had brought the trailers number 5 and 6 as ordered to. Murrue thanked them. Now they had to install the packs on the mobile suits.

Mu La Flaga and Rau Le Creuset were still fighting in the passage leading into the colony. They were quite evenly matched until they disappeared out of each other's view for a few seconds. Their sight blocked by a large shaft. But as soon as they passed it by, the ZAFT officer fired and hit the gunbarrels which exploded, but Mu was skilled enough to escape in time.

In the Archangel, Natarle Badgiruel had taken up the captain's mantle as holder of the highest hierarchical position among the survivors. She wanted to launch the Archangel. And Arnold was arguing that it was impossible with this little personnel.

"While you're talking about it, think about what we should be doing next. Morgenroete might still be under attack! And you're saying that we should just stay here and abandon them?!"

It was then that Jackie Tonomura arrived with Dalida Lolaha Chandra and Romero Pal as the three of them were the only ones who had survived and could operate the Combat Information Center. Badgiruel commanded them to take their seats and follow the computer's instructions, which they did. However, Neumann still did not agree. There were still ZAFT ships outside. They couldn't fight.

"I know! Prepare to fire the specially equipped cannons when the ship launches. Can you do it, Chief Petty Officer?" The strong and strict woman questioned. Neumann-souchou did not reply anything but took his place as the warship's new pilot. "Start launching sequence. Because this is an emergency, process C-30 to L-21 will be omitted. Main power online."

"Output rising, no anomalies. 450 seconds until rated value."

"Too long. What's the situation of the conduit with Heliopolis?"

"They're working!"

"Take the power from here. Conduit online!"

And so the sequence continued. The power was connected to the accumulator, the flow was normal, 20 seconds until rated value. Life support systems starting up, CIC online, weapons system online, FCS contact... and soon all systems were online, the Archangel was ready to launch! All air locks were closed. The crew was told to get ready for concussion damage on the ship's hull during breakthrough.

"Advance at low speed, Archangel, launch!" And the legged ship slowly made its way toward the gate.

On the ground, Kira and Seren found out about the packs used to enhance the Strike's and the Blast's abilities. For the Strike, the weapon and power pack were one and the same, which simplified matters and allowed for a gain of time. He had three allowing for various styles of combat: high mobility (Aile Strike), heavy melee (Sword strike) and heavy assault (Launcher Strike). But it was more complicated for the Blast. It had two mobility packs, one for combat in space (Nova) and another (Storm) for combat in the atmosphere. The Storm pack might also function quite well underwater in exchange for increased energy consumption and strain on the components... and thus a significantly lessened durability. Its optional armaments could be loosely divided into three packs depending on the range.

The Blade Blast from short to mid range clashes added a Midas Messer beam boomerang and the Schwert Gewehr Lanze anti-ship sword. It was a large physical double edged blade that had a laser emitter along the edges. The 15,78 m blade was designed to easily slice mobile suits in half or to cut off sections of a ship. It could be expanded to make a gap from which energy shots could be launched.

The Blast Off pack which was used from mid to long range battle consisted of a 57mm beam rifle, the anti ship sword, a multi-barreled 120mm anti-ship Vulcan gun mounted in the right shoulder armor and a cluster bombs launcher mounted onto the back.

The Blast Away pack for long range/heavy assault also utilised the Vulcan gun and cluster bombs launcher but its primary weapon was a 300mm 'Siegfried' high impulse beam canon which could be combined with the 88mm high energy rifle to make an impulse long range sniper rifle for a precise but very destructive shot. The weapons could be disassembled and reassembled to adapt to the situation.

The Strike was going to don the launcher pack, and the Blast the Nova mobility pack and the Blast Off armament pack. Sai, Milly, and Kuzzey were thinking about the evacuation signal that still hadn't stopped. They were worried about whether their parents had safely reached a shelter and when they would be able to see each other again.

Suddenly, there was a large explosion in the sky, or rather, in the humongous metal tube that held the colony together with the giant cables fixed to it, and a ZAFT mobile suit and an Earth Alliance mobile armor flew into the fake atmosphere. Both noticed the Strike and the Blast. Rau Le Creuset dived to destroy them but was forced to swerve when Mu intercepted him. Ramius-taii yelled at Kira and Seren to hurry and turn the power on. They typed furiously on their keyboards while La Flaga-taii was doing his best to keep the enemy at bay without his gunbarrel pods as they had been previously shot down. When he remarked that he was going to be cut as the ZGMF-515 CGUE swooped down on him, he tried to turn up to shoot him with his linear cannon. But it failed as the ZAFT officer sliced the cannon and continued his descent on the new Earth army mobile weapons. However, the equipment finished fixing just in time and the power in the two suits was turned on. They changed colors and stood up.

"Accelerate to maximum battle velocity once the positron blaster cannons commence firing." Natarle ordered. The Lohengrin cannons fired.

There was another huge explosion in the wall of the colony. And everyone watched with wide eyes as from the flames and the smoke a huge white and red ship sailed into the fake sky.

* * *

><p>When people know everything, they would know when the world ends. They would know the limits of one's strength. They would know that someday, they would awaken from their dream. But for us, we thought we could surpass something like that.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Phase-03: Collapsing Land**

There was another huge explosion in the wall of the colony. And everyone watched with wide eyes as from the flames and the smoke a huge white and red ship sailed into the fake sky. The Archangel had left the port area and had entered the colony's interior. Petty officer 2nd class Tonomura informed them that the Morgenroete had suffered heavy damage and the Strike and the Blast had been activated, no, correction, they were in the midst of battle! The CGUE attacked the ship from the front but it evaded. The mobile suit then returned to the gundams and shot. They shielded the humans with their bodies, getting shot instead. And Rau found out to his damn that the Phase Shift armor could even stop his unit's ABSV bullets. Badgiruel-shoui ordered the firing of the stern missiles 7 through 10 with laser guidance. The target was the enemy mobile suit. She told Romero Pal to be careful not to hit the shaft or the ground even if by mistake.

The missiles were launched, and since they were guided, they followed the CGUE. However, due to the pilot's skill, all missed. One was shot and the others crashed against the shaft, resulting in a series of explosions, weakening it significantly. This was not a joke! Seren took her Schwert Gewehr Lanze, expanded the blades, and aimed at the enemy. Kira did the same with his "Agni" 320mm Hyper Impulse Beam Cannon. Lieutenant Ramius was too late to stop him. While it was distracted by the ship, they fired. The CGUE moved away but while Seren's weapon took a leg from the hip downward and made a crater in the wall, Kira not only vaporized an arm but also blew an immense hole in the colony. They both froze in horror.

"Letting a mobile suit possess this much firepower..." Rau Le Creuset retreated through the hole made by the Strike's weapon.

Ensign Badgiruel sighed and gave the order for the ship to land by matching the rotational speed of the colony and minding the gravity.

In the Vesalius, Athrun was going through the calibrating process on the Aegis, but his mind was elsewhere, and memories of Kira and Seren kept flashing though his mind. Their time on the moon, their goodbyes, their promise, when he had seen them in Heliopolis, when he had fought with Seren... What was she doing?! How can she say she still believes in the Naturals after that? She shouldn't be the type to forgive such a thing...! What did she think the Naturals were going to use those mobile suits for if not for causing more destruction too?! She shouldn't be this naive...! Then why? Why wouldn't she join ZAFT? Why wouldn't she join him?! Was it really Kira, after all?

Suddenly he was snapped back when he heard a computer ringing. He apologised. Without meaning to, he had tampered with what the mechanics were doing. But it was okay. They still needed time to repair the machine. Although the damage inflicted had not been extensive, it had still been consequent. Athrun was done too, although he still wondered how the manufacturers could be using that kind of OS. The alarm sounded. He had spent a little time in the sick bay and returned to take care of his mobile suit after a quick recovery. It was then that Le Creuset's CGUE returned. The damage it had sustained was much more serious. All fire fighters and repair squads were to report to deck B. Everyone was shocked by the amount of damage, as they all knew of the pilot's skills. Athrun was as incredulous, but in the same time, he had sustained damage too. If it was those two, it was not impossible...

The TS-MA2mod.00 Moebius Zero, the GAT-X105 Strike and the GAT-X216 Blast landed on the Archangel, with the mobile suits transporting Murrue, Tolle, Sai, Kuzzey and Miriallia. The crew ran to meet them. Obviously, Ramius-taii and Badgiruel-shoui knew each other, and were relieved the other was alright. The lieutenant complimented the ensign on her work on the Archangel. Thanks to her, they had been saved. Kira and Seren left their cockpits and joined everyone.

"Hey, hey, what's going on? Aren't they just kids?" The chief mechanic Kojiro Murdoch voiced the whole crew's surprise. The kids' friends rushed to them to make sure they were fine. It was obvious from Natarle's expression that she would like explanations, but Murrue said nothing and hung her head.

"Well, now that's a surprise." Mu La Flaga arrived, his tone as light hearted as usual. "Earth Alliance's 7th mobile fleet, lieutenant Mu La Flaga. Pleased to meet you." He introduced himself and saluted. And so did Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of the 2nd space division, 5th special training unit... and Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same. Since he requested permission to board this ship, he wanted to know who was the officer in charge. Because the captain and all other officers had been killed, Natarle believed Ramius-taii should assume that position. Those who had survived were those who had been on board. She had been lucky because she had been in the shaft. That sure was a troublesome situation. The ship he had been on had also been shot down, which was why he was requesting permission to board, which Ramius granted. Now about those two... they were civilians, as he could see. For some reason, they had been in the factory's vicinity when they had been under attack so she had let them onto the Gs. Their names were Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford and it had been thanks to them that they had been able to fight off a Ginn and a stolen G and protect the two remaining ones.

"They fought off a Ginn and a G piloted by a Coordinator? Those children?" Natarle was as disbelieving as the others.

"I'm here because I escorted the pilots of those. These guys are...?"

"Because the explosion happened when they were greeting the captain in the command booth, they were all..."

"I see..." Mu muttered. Then he approached the teens.

"What is it?" Kira and Seren asked defensively.

"You two... are Coordinators, right?" Because of that one question, murmurs rose in the crew, the two's friends gasped, Murrue lowered her gaze (obviously she already knew about them) and the tension increased. They acquiesced. The guards readied their weapons and Tolle instantly and protectively stepped in front of them, clearly angry.

In the Vesalius, Le Creuset, along with Athrun, Miguel, and other Ginn pilots, were reviewing the feed Athrun and Miguel had brought back from their encounters with the Strike and the Blast. He was grateful, for otherwise he might have become a laughing stock for having had his unit damaged to this extent by the Earth Alliance's mobile suits. They already knew what the original OS was like. But then, why were these two mobile suits alone able to move so well? It was clear they couldn't leave something like that alone. So he was hereby ordering them to capture these units, or, if they couldn't, destroy them along with that ship. There would be no more embarrassment... The soldiers saluted. Miguel and Aurol were to leave immediately. And watching them depart, Athrun asked for permission to launch too.

"You don't have a unit, do you?" Rau told him. "Besides, you've already completed at great risk the important mission of capturing that machine."

The boy protested but in vain. Miguel and the others wanted to regain their honor and it was too dangerous for him to go back so soon. He insisted that he had a score to settle too but was still denied; although after a pause.

"What the heck is that?!" Tolle fumed. And he wasn't the only one. Milly, Sai, and Kuzzey had also stepped up to protect their friends. But after all, Tolle was really the most sincere and protective of them. "Even if they're Coordinators, Kira and Seren aren't the enemy! Didn't you see what had happened back then?! What kind of brains do you guys have?!"

After a few seconds, Murrue told them to put their guns away. They complied. This time, Natarle was more forceful when she demanded explanations.

"It isn't that surprising, right? Because Heliopolis is a neutral colony... it wouldn't be surprising for a few Coordinators to have moved here to avoid the war." Her superior replied gently with a warm and understanding expression. "Am I wrong, Kira-kun, Seren-kun?"

"Well... I'm a 1st generation coordinator so..." The boy replied. To those who didn't understand, Mu explained that both his parents were Naturals... and asked about Seren.

"I'm a 2nd generation Coordinator, and my mother was a Coordinator killed in a Blue Cosmos terrorist attack." She answered bluntly. The armed people threatened her again, and her friends protected her again, and also asking why she hadn't kept quiet about that.

"That's why I'm telling them now. I don't won't them to find out later by someone else. That'd only make them more annoying. Well, the advantage of having parents like mine is that I can see both sides of the problem. Coordinators and Naturals, we're all humans. I have a Natural father I love, I have Natural friends I love, and I also have Kira. I am a Heliopolis civilian, under the neutral Orb. I can't be anything else." She glared insistently at the commissioned officers. A tense silence followed her declaration. Tense, but a little less than before. Lieutenant La Flaga laughed suddenly, saying she had pulled a fast one on them and that it should be alright now. And he also apologized for the fuss he had caused and thanked them for their honesty. He had just wanted to know. Ramius-taii agreed and made the others lower their guns again. The mobile armor pilot had watched quite a few simulations performed by the actual mobile suits pilots but they were having incredible difficulty doing the simplest movements... Mu left. He had landed here because he had been hit. And he didn't think they had the time to hang around here as the forces outside were those of the pretty obstinate Le Creuset...

And indeed, in the Vesialius, the Ginns were equipped with much more destructive weapons than their usual ones... to the point that Yzac and Dearka jokingly wondered whether their commander was planning to storm a fortress.

"But if we do that, Heliopolis will..." Nicol objected, worried about the civilians. His calm and good nature suited his lightly more youthful appearance well. He had wavy green hair and kind brown eyes that looked disapprovingly at his two older and fellow red uniforms.

"They deserve it for declaring themselves neutral." Yzac smiled, playing with his gourd, his straight silver hair down to his chin framing his fair-skinned face and cold and cruel blue eyes. He clearly didn't give a damn about people's lives. At least the Naturals' lives... And Dearka did not seem to mind either. He had a rather unusual appearance with curly blond hair he usually combed back, brown skin, purple eyes, and a rather arrogant, humorous and often sarcastic personality. He shared the same views as Yzac concerning Naturals and always backed him (or almost) when there were quarrels with Nicol and Athrun as they (and especially Yzac) saw the latters as too soft-hearted.

In the Archangel, Romero Pal was arguing with the workers and mechanics. There was no way they could bring water from the Morgenroete! Most teams were busy repairing the Strike, the Blast, and Mu's Moebius zero with the replacement parts and ammunition as top priority.

The Heliopolis students had gathered in one of the cabins, with Kira and Seren sitting and leaning against each other in one of the top bunk beds, sleeping. Their friends were amazed they could sleep in a situation like this. Miriallia sympathized with them however: it couldn't be helped, things had been really hard for them. Of course they would be tired.

""things have been really hard", eh... that maybe be true, but..."

"What are you trying to say, Kuzzey?" Sai retorted, his tone slightly testy.

"Nothing really... I was just wondering if those kinds of things were really hard for Kira and Seren..." The black haired boy answered contemplatively, his arms crossed. "Those two... they said they had rewritten the OS of those things... when was that? I don't think even they would have known anything about it at that time. Then when did they rewrite the OS? I knew Kira and Seren were Coordinators. Those who were born with their genes modified... for those Coordinators... those kinds of things would simply be hard... Everyone in ZAFT is like that... Do you think the Earth Alliance can win a war against people like that?"

They all kept quiet. No matter how much they liked Kira and Seren, they could not deny what Kuzzey was saying either... the unbridgeable gap between Naturals like them and Coordinators like Kira and Seren... and ZAFT.

The three commissioned officers had gathered on the bridge to deliberate. Lieutenant Ramius had received information that the evacuation of the colony was close to completion but because of the earlier incident, the alert level had been raised to 9. That meant that the shelters had been completely locked... and they couldn't just find a place and throw the kids somewhere... so what to do with them?

"They have seen a military secret. That is why Lieutenant Ramius is detaining them. So we can't just release them." The stern, by-the-book ensign gave her opinion.

"So they're coming with us when we break out? But once we'll be out we'll get caught in a huge battle." Mu reminded her that despite everything, these kids were still civilians.

"We'll probably need the power of the Strike and the Blast again." Murrue voiced, although one could detect a slight reluctance.

"Are you saying that we're going to use those in real battle again?"

"If we don't use them, we won't be able to leave, right?" Ramius argued softly. Natarle could not deny it. However, she was still dissatisfied with entrusting their precious machines to civilian children – and especially Coordinators, and thus suggested that Lieutenant La Flaga used one instead. But that was unreasonable, there was no way he could control something like that! She hadn't seen the OS data those kids had rewritten. It was impossible for any normal human to handle that! Badgiruel insisted, maybe by having them return the OS to what it was before. She really didn't want Coordinators, civilian children to operate them.

"So you expect us to become sitting ducks?" La Flaga said again, light-heartedly. And once more, Natarle could not say anything. She was perfectly aware that lowering their own firepower in their already desperate situation would be stupid. "But I wonder if those kids understand that... I'm not sure about the boy, but the girl... I have a feeling that she knows what's going to happen, if not she wouldn't have made that declaration earlier and glared at us like this. She will certainly resent us for that but I think that with a push she will cooperate, at least more willingly than Kira. She has the air of someone who knows what she must do but is still searching for another path, and until then does what she can to delay that moment."

Aurol's unit left the Vesalius, followed by Miguel's... And Athrun in his stolen Earth Alliance unit, although no one had heard anything about it. Angry that Athrun had disobeyed him, captain Ades ordered to call him back, but Le Creuset decided to allow him to go. They had already recovered the data. Things should become interesting on his return. He had already fought one Earth Army mobile suit with the one he had stolen... it would be good to see him fight the other after the changes he had made. And although he did not mention it, he felt Athrun must have a very deep reason to go even if it meant defying orders, and he wanted to know it, since he also sensed that that reason was not just a matter of wounded pride as he had tried to make it seem...

Aboard the Archangel, Chandra reported an increase in density of the neutron-jammers (which disabled all nuclear weapons and engines). It seemed like ZAFT was not going to wait until they came out. As Mu pointed out, the enemy had it easy in Heliopolis, being able to fire all they wanted while the OMNI enforcers could not for fear of destroying the colony.

"I refuse! Please do not involve us in this war anymore!" Kira affirmed vehemently. Lieutenant Ramius had come to try and convince him and Seren to fight again on the gundams. "What you said, may have been true, that the world outside is at war, but we hate that! We hate fighting! That's why we chose to be here in a neutral place! And yet..." The boy hung his head. He was scared, and he was suffering. Suddenly, Ramius was called on the intercom. She was needed to take command on the bridge immediately. Mobile suits were coming! The students gasped. She was the captain... and surprised to hear it. La Flaga explained that even though he was the most experienced lieutenant, he knew nothing about this ship. Murrue understood and accepted the position. She ordered to prepare the ship for take-off. They were now entering battle alert level 1! La Flaga's mobile armor still couldn't be used for combat so she gave him a position in the CIC. Then she turned to the youngsters again.

"As you heard, there's going to be another battle. Because the shelters are now at level 9, I can't allow you to leave here. If we can somehow get through this and escape Heliopolis..."

Miriallia fearfully pressed herself against Tolle who embraced her reassuringly despite the dread he was feeling himself. Kira and Seren clenched their fists.

"You people are despicable." Kira was furious. Furious and helpless against the fate that was being forced upon him. "The only mobile suits on this ship are these two, right? And the only ones who can pilot them are Seren and me! Isn't that what you're saying?!"

Seren heaved a heavy and resigned sigh.

"Lieutenant Ramius, I don't want us to die so I will cooperate." She affirmed. Her childhood friend cried her name. "But I want to be clear. I'm not fighting for you but for them. And were it not for them, I would never fight to begin with." She pointed at her friends. "I'll never side with ZAFT who actually attacked us but I also don't want to side with the Earth Alliance who hid such things here knowing what would happen to us civilians if they were found out. A soldier's duty isn't only to shoot the enemy, it's also to protect us, civilians, right? Then don't put us in danger for your own god damned convenience when it can be avoided!" The girl continued, her voice dripping with venom. "I have things I must protect no matter what, and for that I will stay here and do whatever I must. I promise I will protect the Archangel and its inhabitants, but know that my true loyalty will always lie with Orb." And then she turned to her childhood friend. "Kira, to be honest, it'll be more difficult without you. But you don't have to come. I made my choice now it's up to you. I will... kill people to protect others. I will embrace the pain and the tears and the hatred. So it's fine if you don't come no, I'd prefer if you didn't, for your own sake. It's not necessary for you too to risk your life and bear the burden. So don't worry, I'll be fine even if I am alone." Her mouth was smiling resignedly and her eyes reflected determination... and both fear and strength. Kira's purple eyes widened as she watched her run to the mobile suits.

Ah... she was protecting him again. She was protecting them all, trying to shoulder everything by herself as usual, simply stating the facts, never asking for help... She was smiling... she was acting strong... even though... even though... she was hurting so much, even though she was scared, even though she wanted to cry so much...! Because he had always been the one to cry first, she would always feel the need to hold her own emotions back for his sake, to support him... And he was again forcing her to bear the burden alone...

The ship took off. Evacuating Heliopolis was a priority as well as to avoid further damage to the colony during battle. The Blast was equipped with the Nova Blade Blast... and the Strike with the Sword Striker pack. Seren had been surprised, and also disappointed. She wanted to protect him from the burden they would necessarily have to bear, and from things that would only hurt him more if he knew. She didn't want him to have to fight his best friend like she had done. But maybe, he needed to know the truth. However, just like she could not let Kira risk death out there, he couldn't let her fight alone either. He wanted to protect her too, like she wanted to protect him.

They activated the phase shift armors, hoping that with the packs they had now, things wouldn't go like last time. The Combat Information Center detected incoming heat signatures. The thermal patterns indicated ZGMF-1017 Ginns... and there were equipped with heavy armaments!

In the living quarters, Tolle called his friends, so they could see the battle on the monitor. They hurried to his side. They too wanted to know about Kira and Seren who were fighting, and about what was happening to their home...

Another huge hole was blown in the colony wall from which Ginns entered. Badgiruel ordered the launching of the Strike and the Blast. But then they detected another heat source. It was the GAT-X303 Aegis! They were already using it in an actual battle! However, as Mu pointed out, it was the enemy now. They had no choice but to destroy it if they didn't want to be destroyed themselves! The ensign commanded to prepare to fire the Corintoss anti-aircraft missiles and begin laser targeting when Murrue told her such missiles wouldn't work against units with phase shit armor.

"Main cannons, acquire targeting from lasers! Multiple targets!" The energy beams shot from the cannons, scattering the enemy units that were all unharmed. The Strike launched and was immediately engaged in battle by Miguel who wanted to pay him back. The Ginn fired an energy beam that instead of hitting the strike, melted a hole in a metal shaft larger than a house and whose two thirds fell on the ground. Frustrated, he fired another that blew up a building. Kira looked in horror. He couldn't let those things hit the colony... what should he do?! The Ginn fired again. This time, The Strike stopped the beam with his shield.

"Did I get him?" Miguel wondered, blinded by the light. But then he saw the Strike lunging at him. He barely avoided the slash and fired again at point blank range. Shot that was blocked again.

In the Aegis, Athrun looked at the X216 Blast currently fighting off the two other Ginns and protecting the Archangel. Seren was shooting the missiles launched from the Ginns' legs with the CIWS guns mounted on the Blast's head but was nonetheless unable to stop them all. The CIC reported the damage. But in order to battle the Ginns she privileged close combat to avoid causing more damaged to the colony. She lunged at one, protecting herself with her shield and slashed, ripping the foot of Matthew's mobile suit. Aurol fired his four M66 "Canus" Short-range guided missiles at the ship. They were slow, large anti-fortress missiles. Badgiruel shouted for countermeasures but they wouldn't have the time. Mu ordered to hand the manual targeting control over to him.

"Starboard 40 degrees, full speed!" Ramius-kanchou yelled. The Archangel began its evasive maneuver. All missiles hit the colony, making it tremble to its very core. In the shelters, the refugees were growing more and more anxious. The battle had started again. The alert level rose to 10. An announcement was heard stating that there was a possibility that these shelters may be used as emergency barges.

The Ginn had disengaged from Seren and was shooting at her, but she defended with her shield and shot the small missiles launcher mounted on the leg. They exploded, taking the whole unit with them, but not before it could fire those large missiles. She managed to detonate one before it reached the colony but not the other...

"Matthew! How dare you...!" And Aurol rushed at the Blast to avenge the death of his comrade. That was not what she had wanted. She didn't want to kill. Not even those guys. They were Athrun's comrades. She had wanted to destroy his weapons, not him. But...

Miguel was still struggling with the Strike. The Earth Alliance mobile suit was too fast for him and he was unable to hit it. All his shots fell on Heliopolis, causing a number of explosions. He told Athrun to get around him, which he did. On his screen, Kira recognized the GAT-X303 Aegis... the unit stolen by that ZAFT soldier...

"Is that you, Kira?" The Aegis charged, but the Strike dodged.

"I've got you now!" Miguel bellowed, attacking from below and behind. Kira avoided the beam by flying up, reached for his 'Midas Messer' beam boomerang and hurtled it at the Ginn. The ZAFT mobile suit evaded it but it didn't know that the beam weapon had been a boomerang and got its legs cut off when it returned. Before its pilot could recover, Kira howled and hacked it apart from its left shoulder to its right side. The mobile suit exploded.

"Miguel!" Athrun shouted.

Aurol fired at the Blast that lunged back at him. They swerved at the last second but Seren managed to slice the Ginn's left arm and make a gash in its body as they passed each other by. They turned for another assault when suddenly, the Archangel's cannons fired, destroying the ZAFT mobile weapon... whose parts flew to the shaft, sparking another series of explosions that spread like wildfire through every circuits. Mu and Seren cursed. Murrue Ramius stood up in horror, just like the Heliopolis students who gasped and watched, consternated, powerless, as the shaft that held the space colony, their home, together, broke apart and collapsed. And in the falling rubble, the Aegis and the Strike, Athrun and Kira, were locked in stares, and Seren, who had no more enemy left, joined them...

_Athrun... it can't be..._ Kira thought, refusing the evidence, just like his two other childhood friends...

"Kira... Kira Yamato!" A communication came from the Aegis. Kira gasped, recognizing the voice. "It's really you... Kira...? Kira... is that you?!" The pilot insisted.

"Athrun! Athrun Zala! Why? Why are you here?!"

"You too! Why are you piloting this thing?!" Athrun retorted. Seren gritted her teeth, emotional pain carving her beautiful face as the land below them fell apart into space and all the shelters were launched.

"Commander..." Captain Ades murmured, also standing up, stricken at the consequences of their attack. Such a thing should have never happened. Things were supposed to have gone much more smoothly, with little damage done to this officially neutral colony. He had never intended for the whole of Heliopolis to break down like that...

Inside the collapsing colony, Athrun, Kira and Seren were torn apart by the vacuum effect created by the sinking pieces of land. The boys were pulled backward, opposite each other, while the girl, still on the same side as Kira, nonetheless became separated from him by a stretch of shattered sky. The three cried each other's name, reaching out and yet unable to close the distance. Surrounded by the debris of the collapsing land, they were forced into the desperately vast darkness of space and war.

* * *

><p>Since when did people forget how to fly in the sky? No, it's not like they've forgotten. They've become afraid. Because the sky does not belong to us anymore. To that sky, we spread our wings. And it was dyed in the brilliant red of blood and fire. We can fight if there's a place we want to return to. But nobody heard our murmured voices.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**Phase-04: Archangel setting off**

The X105 Strike and the X216 Blast were floating among the wreckage of Heliopolis, impervious to the calls of Ensign Badgiruel. Kira and Seren were panting, trembling, their eyes wide, too shocked by the sheer devastation of their home to answer.

"Heliopolis is destroyed... why...?" Both stammered, barely able to register something so unthinkable. To think... it would be destroyed so easily... Murrue clenched her fists and turned to the CIC where Natarle was still trying to get Yamato and Ashford to respond... which they did after a few more seconds. They were alright and they knew the location of the ship. They were returning. Or at least, Seren was. Kira had picked up the signal of a Heliopolis life pod and was approaching it.

During that time, the two lieutenants in the Archangel were trying to decide what to do. They were still in the middle of a battle, they couldn't track down the movements of the ZAFT vessels because their own ship was in the middle of debris that were radiating heat so both the radar and heat-detection system were ineffective at this point... However, as Mu pointed out, it was certainly the same for the other side.

"Do you think there will be a pursuit?"

"We should move assuming that there will be..." Ramius devised. "Though there's no chance for us if we get attacked now."

La Flaga agreed. All they had were the precious Strike and Blast and his out-of-commission "zero". Even for this ship, battle would be difficult with what they had... but maybe they could shake them off at full speed. This ship was pretty fast. The woman argued that the other side had the equally speedy Nazca-class cruiser. There was no guarantee that the Archangel could shake them off...

"Then should we just surrender to them obediently...?" He suggested, gravely and defiantly.

"Eh?"

"That's also another possibility." Mu added, having recovered his blithe tone, almost as if it were a joke... although that was most likely to gently push the captain into a (right) decision. However, they were interrupted by Ensign Badgiruel's angry voice.

"Wait a second! Who authorized such a thing?!" Seren had already returned to the ship where she had decided to remain on standby in her cockpit in case something would happen. So Natarle must be arguing with Kira. Though Seren actually wanted to wait for her friend to comfort him, since she imagined only too well what he must be feeling... despite the fact that he might not show it, to the others at least, as he wouldn't want to worry them. When Ramius asked Badgiruel-shoui what the problem was, she answered that the Strike had reactivated, but was also carrying a life pod. This shocked both lieutenants.

"You can't authorize it? What do you mean, you can't authorize it? The propulsion was damaged and it was floating around. Are you telling me to leave it behind?!" The boy exclaimed, indignant. "There are refugees onboard!"

"A rescue ship will come soon. The Archangel is in a battle right now! We can't take any refugees!" Badgiruel reasoned vehemently. However, the captain contradicted what the ensign had just said and gave permission on the ground that she didn't want to waste time arguing about something like this. The refugees should be retrieved as fast as possible. Natarle saluted and floated away.

"I know that the situation is difficult but I have no intention of surrendering. We will never hand this ship, the Strike, or the Blast to ZAFT." Ramius-kanchou affirmed strongly. "We must bring them safely to the Atlantic Federation Command Center at all costs." It was then that the ensign – who had returned – proposed that they headed for Artemis. The Eurasian base, the 'Umbrella Artemis'... was the closest allied position, and the easiest location to get to. It was true that neither the Gs, nor this ship had an IFF (Identify Friend of Foe signal), and of course she was aware that the Archangel, the Strike, and the Blast were top secret weapons of the Atlantic Federation, whom they belonged to... however, if they continued on their current course toward the moon, they couldn't possibly avoid battles en route. Besides, they had taken off without proper provision, so they desperately needed to resupply too. So she believed Eurasia would understand their situation. They had to do their best to avoid engagement on their way to Artemis, replenish there, and get in contact with their headquarters on the moon. That was the most realistic plan given their present situation. Mu La Flaga understood but doubted things would go as easily as they had planned... and although Murrue had her doubts too, she also agreed that it was the only thing they could do.

Kira put down the life pod and parked the Strike. As soon as he opened the cockpit, Torii, that had been hiding in his clothes left and flew toward the red haired girl with the pink dress who had just come out of the pod, helped by two mechanics. Kira jumped after it, trying to get it back. He had recognized the girl. Alerted by the noise, she turned her head and recognized Sai's friend, and Seren watched, silent, wide eyed, as the girl started crying and threw herself in her childhood friend's arms. Kira cried Flay's name. To think she had been on this pod. Flay Allster raised her tearful blue eyes toward the boy.

"What happened to Heliopolis?! What happened?! What in the world happened?! I... I... I was at the Florence shop with Jessica and Misha but I ran to the shelter and hid by myself... Then..."

_So she's the type to abandon her companions without a second thought... what a reliable and trustworthy friend she is... that's good to know... I guess... and the first thing she does is throw herself at a guy's neck and cry in his arms even though she has a fiancé... as if she were the only one to be scared and she must be put before everyone..._ Seren's expression hardened and grew stone cold. Neither of them had noticed her. To begin with, she had never particularly cared or gotten along with her to say the least (as the preppy superficial and sheltered princess personality had never been one that appealed to her). But now her opinion of her had regressed even more...

"This is a ZAFT ship, right? What's going to happen to us, why are you in a place like this?"

"Th-This is an Earth Alliance ship." The boy stammered.

"It can't be! There's a mobile suit..."

"Well, that also belongs to the Earth Alliance... But thank goodness, Sai and Miriallia are here too. It's going to be okay." Kira comforted her... gently, kindly... despite how unsure he was himself.

"How did the situation come to this...?" Captain Ades was – to say the least – not very pleased with it, and rather apprehensive... "How do you feel about it? Destroying a neutral colony... even the council will-"

"A colony that has produced the Earth Alliance's new weapons... how is that neutral?" Le Creuset reasoned, as confident, calm and composed as ever.

"But..."

"Most of the civilians have evacuated. There won't be much of a problem... if we compare it to the tragedy of the Bloody Valentine..." At this, Ades stiffened and could not say anything. Le Creuset asked if they had detected the presence of the new Earth Alliance ship but because of the situation, it had been impossible.

"Are you still going to pursue them? But our mobile suits are..."

"We still have a few, don't we? The four we stole from the Earth Alliance..."

Ades still wasn't convinced about having them been used for battle already but for his commander, as long as they had the data it didn't matter. They should use them... He then ordered to be shown the map and that the Gamow must expand its scanning range for the enemy.

In the Archangel, Kira and Seren led Flay to the cafeteria where their friends and other refugees already were. She instantly started weeping again and this time threw herself in Sai's arms. Kira smiled sadly but good-heartedly. And Seren frowned seeing that. The atmosphere on the bridge was very different, much tenser...

"Decoy ready. At the same time of the launch, set our course toward Artemis and engage the main engine. To prevent the ship from being discovered, we will engage stealth mode. Entering level 2 battle alert." Murrue-san instructed. Mu calculated the estimated time of arrival of 'silent running' to Artemis to about two hours. The rest was up to luck... and he was obviously thinking about whether they would be attacked on the way... and whether things would go well once and if they arrived at Artemis...

Aboard the Vesalius, Ades and Le Creuset were studying a map. The captain thought the new Earth Alliance ship had already slipped through the debris and left this area but the commander disagreed. They were probably still holding their breath somewhere... perhaps setting up a trap...

"Vesalius will go first and wait for the enemy ship here." He showed the emplacement of umbrella Artemis on the map. Gamow will follow while searching for the enemy on the orbital intersection route." Rau directed. And just when Ades suggested the possibility of the enemy heading for the moon, a large heat source was detected... whose projected course was toward the Earth Alliance Atlantic Headquarters on the moon! "It's a decoy." Rau affirmed confidently. Ades wanted to send the Gamow to be sure but his superior ordered him not to. They were heading for Artemis. And indeed, the Archangel engaged its main engine, veered off and headed to Artemis. The ship shook as it maneuvered... rendering its civilian inhabitants very anxious. "I'm even surer of it now. Launch the Vesalius, and call Zellman." The ZAFT ship also changed course. The shock made Athrun, who had been lying on his bed, float away, still in the same position, his arms behind his head. He turned to see the bed on the other side of the room, and the perfectly folded red uniform and luggage lying on it.

Rusty, Luke, Miguel, Aurol, Matthew... He turned his head again and tightly shut his eyes, unable to stop tears from beading at their corners, for his comrades, his friends, who had been killed by the Earth Alliance, and by Kira and Seren, who were also precious and meant more to him than he could ever put into words...

A few crewmembers of the Archangel were checking the identities of the refugees Kira had brought back. After finding out one was a doctor, they asked him to look at the wound the captain had on her shoulder. The Heliopolis students had returned to their 'meeting cabin' where they were anxiously waiting and wondering about their families' safety and where this ship was heading. Seren suggested either the moon or Artemis, depending on their supplies. They must have changed course. Maybe ZAFT was still around, since they were after this ship and the mobile suits.

"Eh? What? Then being on this ship is more dangerous? No way...!" Flay whined in a shrilly voice. At this Kira looked very guilty... since he was the one who had brought her here. Milly noticed Kira's expression and asked Flay (rather kindly) if staying in that damaged life pod would have been any better. "It's not...but..." She pressed herself against her fiancé.

"Then don't complain. It's annoying and nothing will change even if you do. You're already here so no use whining about it." Seren agreed more harshly. Somehow, just listening to her grated her ears... She certainly wasn't going to stop her if that girl would rather leave in a life pod and wait for another ship to pass by. Then she added in a lightly derisive tone "But then again, that's true for all of us. Maybe we should help, things might get solved faster this way... At least it should be better than just sitting around doing nothing and letting our fate be decided by others." And just as she said that, Lieutenant La Flaga came asking for her and Kira. Murdoch-gunsou (petty officer 1st class) was angry at them. There wasn't enough manpower so he had said "It's your machines, so do the maintenance yourselves!"

"What?!" The boy exclaimed.

"Yeeees." The girl sighed reluctantly. She had expected such a thing. But Kira stopped her. How could she just accept it like this?! They were not soldiers! They didn't have to! Just because they could pilot didn't mean they could wage war! It couldn't be that she actually...

"Of course I hate it as much as you do! But I don't think those guys will just give up and go back obediently. Lieutenant La Flaga, you, and I are the only ones with the power to protect this ship. And since we've destroyed the GINNs, they'll definitely send those four units after us, and as skilled as the lieutenant is, do you really believe he can fend all of them on his own? I don't want to die here like this, and I don't want to let any of you die. So I will do what I can to increase our chances of survival by even 1%. And if it means piloting, fighting, and learning the ways of war, then so be it. I... don't want to let our fate be decided by others." Seren walked away. She had spoken with calm, sad, and grim determination. 'Knowing' whether by her keen and quick mind or her refined intuition, or both, had always been both her blessing and her curse. Because she was incapable of ignoring or choosing to ignore, she could only accept – even if that was something she would have rather denied with all of her being –... and act according to her conscience. And such pragmatism was often mistaken for heartlessness, especially in such times of war.

"Oh my, such a smart and reliable friend you have. Well, that's the way it is. You have the power, so just do what you can. We don't have much time, not even the time to worry..." Mu also encouraged him with a smile. When he started to leave, Sai asked him where they were going. "An Eurasian military fortress. Well, it'd be nice if we can get there smoothly." And the lieutenant left.

"I..." Kira muttered, before closing his eyes, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, an anguished expression on his handsome face. He didn't want to fight him. He didn't want to fight at all. But... And Seren... And no longer able to take it, he ran away.

Sai told his clueless fiancée that the mobile suit that had brought here the life pod she had been in had been piloted by Kira. And since she was still clueless as to how he could have done that, Kuzzey told her that both Seren and Kira were Coordinators. Sai and Milly glared at him and Tolle said his name in an angry tone. And knowing the opinion his promised had on genetically modified humans, he reassured her. It was true Kira and Seren were Coordinators, but they were not from ZAFT.

"Yup, they're our friends... our precious friends." Miriallia agreed warmly and sincerely. However, Flay was still not convinced.

Kira was standing before the Strike, recalling Seren's and Mu's words. The power to protect... do what they could do... piloting, learning the ways of war... Was there no way to protect them without having to learn that?! He started running again.

"Kira!" A voice called him. He turned to see Seren leaving her cockpit and joining him. He wasn't sure he wanted to see her now, but that was still her... he waited, especially since she seemed unusually worried and apprehensive. "Kira, have you met him? Have you...talked to him?" She inquired, her voice also softer and more emotive than usual. His eyes widened for a moment before saddening again. From her tone and her expression, he had immediately guessed who she had been talking about.

"Yeah... and you?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry..." And without any more words, Kira understood. She was sorry for not telling him, but he understood that it was because she had not been able to. She was sorry for not having been able to convince that person, for her lack of strength, and because even though she didn't want to fight, she was still going to, for both his childhood friends, for the two men she loved the most, so that one day, they could be together again, the three of them... and for their friends who had protected them when they were going to be shot down by the Earth Army. Kira shook his head.

"It's not your fault." He smiled. They embraced each other. For them, the other was like a mirror reflecting their own sorrow and suffering, their own doubts and distress. Because the three of them were so important to each other, she was the only one who could truly understand what he was enduring. Just like he was the only one who could truly understand what SHE was enduring. And yet, she was still trying to console him, to protect him. And he was grateful for that. She was really the strong, steadfast, and reliable one, just like Athrun...

"Athrun Zala, reporting." The boy entered after Le Creuset gave him permission to enter his office (and bedroom). He saluted.

"The destruction of Heliopolis caused quite a mess. So our conversation was delayed." The blonde commander finished typing and turned toward his subordinate.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry about the last battle." Athrun apologized earnestly.

"I have no intention of punishing you. But I'd like to hear your story, since that behavior was very unlike you, Athrun." Rau informed him, kindly but firmly. The young and elite soldier looked pained for a moment, as if beset by conflicting emotions. As he was still keeping quiet, his superior insisted. "You were beside those machines when they activated, right?"

"I apologize. Due to an unexpected accident, I was in shock and unable to report back. The ones who are piloting these two last units are Kira Yamato for the Strike and Seren Ashford for the Blast. They are schoolmates and friends of mine from my childhood days on the moon." Athrun admitted. At this, the commander sounded quite interested. "I never imagined that I'd meet them again in a place like this. I wanted to make sure..."

"I see... War is full of irony. Your shock couldn't be helped. He was a very good friend of yours, right?" The man in white uniform stood up, sounding very understanding.

"Yes."

"And that girl, do you really consider her as just a very good friend?"

"Huh?" The boy appeared not to get where his commander was going.

"I understand." Rau smiled kindly. "If that's the case, I'm going to remove you from the next assault."

"Eh?"

"You won't be able to point a gun at enemies like that. I don't want to make you do such a thing either."

"No, Commander. I..."

"Even though they are your old friends, if they've become our enemies we must shoot them down. I think you understand that..."

"Kira is... he's being used by the Naturals... He's brilliant, but a little air-headed and good-natured so he doesn't even notice he's being used... And Seren just stays with him to take care of him. She's usually very clever, and clear-sighted and accomplished, but she's always been much too soft on Kira... That's why, I want to convince them! They're Coordinators too, and her mother was also a Coordinator killed by Blue Cosmos! There's no reason for them not to understand what we're doing!" Athrun continued frantically... desperately trying to convince his superior to give him this opportunity to reclaim those two who were so important to him.

"I understand your feelings..." Rau said, his gloved hands on his hips. He had noted the differences between the descriptions of Kira and Seren, just like he had noted his subordinate's reaction when he had questioned the sort of relationship they had. He had done so on impulse, trusting his instinct as usual. Well... "But what if they don't listen?" He objected. Athrun recoiled lightly. He had never considered – as he had never been willing to – that they could actually really refuse him. Surely they just needed time to properly think things through...! Then, as he registered the possibility, he hung his head, looking terribly miserable. "If that time comes... I'll shoot them down." He concluded with a determined tone.

The CIC of the Archangel detected a large heat source likely to be the engine of a battleship... and from the coordinates, she was right next to them, and heading in the same direction. Fortunately, the Earth Alliance ship hadn't been discovered yet, and the enemy ship was still pretty far. However, it was passing them by. The target ship was the Nazca-class cruiser. They were obviously planning to go ahead and block the path. And the Laurassia-class was approaching from their rear... At this rate they'll either be caught by the Laurassia-class or intercepted by the Nazca-class...! La Flaga asked to be shown the data on the two ships as well as the map of the area. He was going to devise a plan!

Through the ship, the alarm rang... "Enemy encountered! Entering level 1 battle alert! All military personnel, report to your positions now!" Chandra and his friend left their quarters in a hurry and ran to the bridge, complaining about how they had just gotten into bed. In the cafeteria, a little girl with twin tails and pink overalls fearfully hugged her mother around her middle. Everyone was scared and apprehensive. Voicing the thoughts of the vast majority, a man grumbled about the ship entering battle despite the presence of civilians. Their safety should be prioritized! The students kept quiet. Although they knew the truth, they couldn't help having similar sentiments. It was then they heard that Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford were to report to the bridge. Their expressions changed into worry for their friends. They knew that if they didn't fight, things would become quite ugly. Milly was feeling bad about always having to rely on these to protect them. She wanted to do something for them too. Tolle repeated Seren's and Mu's words... 'if you have the power, just do what you can...' huh? He, Milly, Kuzzey, and Sai nodded at each other with a smile.

"Kanchou! There are civilians who wish to speak with you!" Chandra said. Instead of the kanchou, Natarle answered (as sharply as usual) that they were occupied now, if they had complaints they would listen later, and that he should tell them to keep quiet for now. He stammered that it was the students who had come with them from Heliopolis... they wanted to help with jobs on the ship... This wasn't something Ramius had expected... On their way back from the briefing, Kira, who was looking down, and Seren, who was leading the way and gazing straight ahead (although in the distance), were hailed by Tolle and the others coming from the opposite way. The two Coordinators were surprised to see their friends and fellow students wearing military uniforms, blue jackets and white pants for the boys and pink jacket and yellow skirt for the girl.

"We thought we'd help out on the ship's jobs." Sai answered. "They're lacking manpower, right?"

"They said we'd have to wear uniform if we want to get onto the brigde." Kuzzey explained.

"The ZAFT uniforms are much cooler though. We don't even have ranks so we look kind of dumb." Tolle 'joked'. Chandra, who was supervising them, told him not to say such smart things. "We can't always let you two fight and protect us."

"In a situation like this, we also want to do what we can." Milly agreed. Kira and Seren were deeply moved. They were all smiling so warmly and comfortingly. They sincerely wanted to support the two of them, to let them know that even if they could not fight like they did, they were not alone, and they, too, could share a bit of the burden. Chandra pushed the four. It was time to go. The children exchanged light-hearted parting words like 'see you later', as if they were just going to different classes at school, instead of two of them going to risk their lives outside. The Petty Officer 2nd Class, told the pilots to wear their suits if they were going to sortie again.

Aboard the Vesalius, the soldiers were in sight of the Umbrella Artemis. They had probably detected them already since it was opening. Ades had mixed feelings; they had arrived here unable to capture the Earth Alliance's new ship. But Rau reassured him. They had headed them off and would stop them here. The ZAFT ship made a 180° turn and advanced slowly while matching speed with Artemis.

Kira and Seren had just finished changing into their pilot suits when Mu entered. He was glad they were finally motivated enough to wear them, especially Kira. He had thought, and after all, they were right, the three of them were the only ones could protect this ship. He didn't want to fight, but he wanted to protect this ship, because everyone was there... And it was the same for the OMNI enforcers aboard the Archangel. Nobody fought without a reason.

"If you don't fight, you can't protect. Therefore you fight." Mu said with a grave expression. Kira nodded. Then the lieutenant informed his fellow pilots about the plan... Later, as he boarded his mobile armor, he advised the teens to only think about protecting themselves and the ship.

_Athrun... are you going to come again... to sink this ship?_ The boy thought, his heart twisting painfully. "They'll definitely send those four units after us" were the words Seren had said. He doubted she could be wrong, and that only made the pain sharper. And in the Blast, Seren shared the exact same feelings.

Mu La Flaga headed out first in his Moebius Zero. The Strike and the Blast prepared for the launch. They took their position, and connected to the catapult. The lieutenant was going to attack the enemy from the front, during that time, Kira was going protect the ship from the enemy coming from behind. Seren was to guard the ship more closely but help one or the other when needed. They trusted her judgment. Suddenly, the two youngsters received a communication. They were surprised to see Miriallia on the screen.

"From now on, I'm the battle controller for mobile suits and mobile armors. _Yoroshikune_!" She winked and made a V sign. Sai, also on the CIC, was in charge of enemy detection and electronic warfare identification. Tolle assisted the pilot as the navigator of the ship while Kuzzey had been assigned as the communications operator.

"It is _yoroshiku onegaishimasu_." Chandra corrected her all too informal greeting for a more proper one. Even if she was talking to friends, now they were all military personnel. Kira and Seren chuckled lightly. That was Milly alright. The Strike was equipped with the Aile Striker and the Blast with the Nova Blast Away pack to which the Schwert Gewehr Lanze was added. Ensign Badgiruel warned them that the enemy would come as soon as the Archangel will have started the engines. The captain ordered to start the engines and fire the Lohengrin cannons in the same time. The target was the Nazca class cruiser ahead.

"Lohengrin, fire!" Natarle yelled.

The Vesalius detected the oncoming attack as well as the battleship and prepared to dodge. Rau Le Creuset was smiling. So the enemy had realized they were here and fired in a panic... The stolen mobile suits took their positions, ready to be launched.

"I'll believe in those words you've said before, Athrun Zala."

"Yes." The Aegis was launched. It was detected by the Archangel. At Ramius's request, Badgiruel gave the order to launch the Strike and the Blast. Haww transmitted. The Duel, the Buster, and the Blitz also flew out of the Gamow from the rear. And carrying their friends' words and thoughts in their hearts, Kira and Seren opened their eyes full of determination and headed out into battle.

* * *

><p>The ones who can move a new ship are not old sailors. However, the ones finding new routes were the ever pure sailors. But the map found by the ever pure us... was a path of suffering, which fell from the sky.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Phase-05: Thoughts of friends**

"I'll believe in those words you've said before, Athrun Zala."

"Yes." The Aegis was launched. It was detected by the Archangel. At Ramius' request, Badgiruel gave the order to launch the Strike and the Blast. Haww transmitted. The Duel, the Buster, and the Blitz also flew out of the Gamow from the rear. And carrying their friends' words and thoughts in their hearts, Kira and Seren opened their eyes full of determination and headed out into battle.

Ensign Badgiruel, who was in charge of the CIC, commanded that they prepared for anti-mobile suit combat, charged the corintoss, deployed the linear canons on both sides, imput target data... Chandra identified the enemy mobile suits as the Duel, Buster, and Blitz. Nobody on the bridge could – or wanted – to believe it... they were already throwing in all the Gs they had stolen...

Kira detected the presence of a single unit and remembered the lieutenant's words... _"Think only of protecting yourselves and the ship."_ That was why Seren had been ordered to remain at the Archangel's side in case enemies would slip past him... But then, he identified that single mobile suit as Athrun's, just like Athrun had identified Kira's Strike.

"Athrun has already left the Vesalius. Don't get left behind!" Yzac motivated his 'troops'.

"Not to a guy like him..." Dearka scoffed. He was the only one who answered. Nicol felt no such rivalry with the others. The three spread out. The captain of the Archangel instructed to begin engaging the enemy and snapped the CIC commander back to the pressing reality. The laser targeting was okay.

"Missiles tubes, numbers 13 to 18. Fire! 7 to 12, sledgehammer targeting! 19 to24, Corintoss, fire!" And all the missiles shot at the three units behind the ship.

The Strike and the Aegis took a beam saber. Kira was going to engage but Athrun passed him by before stopping and turning further away.

"Kira! Stop this, put your saber away! Kira!" The ZAFT soldier ordered. "We're not enemies, right?! Why do we have to fight?!"

"Athrun..."

"You're also a Coordinator, why do you have to fight against us?!"

Kira tightened his grip on the joystick, an anguished expression on his face. He did not want to think of Athrun as his enemy, he did not want to fight him either. He was wavering.

Yzac ordered Dearka and Nicol to go for the ship and the Blast while he was going to take care of the Strike with Athrun. They agreed, fired up. Dearka wanted to deal with the Blast on his own while Nicol would sink the ship. However, they had barely decided that that they could barely avoid being taken down by two energy beams whose power nonetheless grazed their limbs. They looked to see the Blast aiming at them with its "Siegfried" 300mm high impulse beam cannon and its 88mm high-energy rifle.

"Damn! Make sure you take those wretches down! And don't forget: the Blast almost took Athrun out!" Yzac cursed and left as his comrades were forced to protect themselves from the Blast's cluster bombs and the Archangel's missiles and igelstellung while the ship was protected from their weapons with anti-beams charges. The Valiant linear cannons fired. Dearka and Nicol made frustrated sounds and flew around. Leaving aside taking the ship and the Blast down, it was already difficult enough to avoid being shot down themselves...

Kira noticed the Archangel's plight and tried to go help but he was stopped by Athrun. Why was he in the Earth Alliance?! Why did he ally himself with the Naturals?!

"I'm not with the Earth Alliance!"

"Huh?"

"But my comrades... my friends are on that ship! You too! Why ZAFT?! Why are you in the war?!" The brown haired boy yelled in frustration. Athrun's eyes went wide as he remembered his reason for fighting... and his previous encounter with Seren... So she hadn't told him anything... The Strike kept trying to shake off the Aegis, in vain. ""I hate war."... you said that too, didn't you?! Then why did you attack Heliopolis?!"

"Because Naturals who don't understand the situation built these things."

"Heliopolis is neutral! Even I! And Seren too! And yet..." Kira's frustration and bitterness were building up. It could be heard in his tone. And as caught up as he was, he barely evaded energy shots. The Duel had gone after him too! Yzac yelled at Athrun. What the hell was he waiting for?!

The ship took evasive action at maximum velocity and fired the anti-beam charges. Natarle yelled at those in charge of the igelstellung not to let the enemy get close to the ship and to set the Helldarts to auto-launch. The Blitz blocked a number of missiles, the cockpit shook. Dearka fired but the energy was partly absorbed by the shield of the Blast. Since this unit could be highly demanding in energy, especially when equipped with the blast away pack like right now, the manufacturers had properly thought of a way not to draw too much on the battery. However, even if the shield could effectively absorb the energy of a 57mm beam rifle, the Buster's 94mm was a bit different after all. She would have to tweak the shield's ability later. But now was not the time to think about it! Seren set off the thrusters and charged the Buster, only firing with her 88mm beam rifle, observing the enemy's habits when evading. But this had allowed the Blitz to get closer to the ship. She withdrew and attacked the black unit when one of the Buster's shots hit the Archangel's laminated armor. The heat and energy dissipated across the whole hull but the shock was nonetheless enough to shake the ship. The civilians inside fearfully screamed and whimpered and held on to anything they could. Flay was asking what was happening. She had no idea how intense the battle outside was, as worried as she was about her own safety only.

Yzac was growing more and more infuriated at the Strike's evasive maneuvering. Was he trying to escape?! And it was true that Kira was trying to avoid combat. Not because he was being a wimp but because his machine's power level was getting dangerously low. Still, if he kept running away like that, he would not be able to escape. And he knew that. So he decided to counterattack.

Dearka and Nicol were also having much trouble with the Blast and the Archangel as they were pretty well armed. They couldn't get through. And their gundams had been grazed a number of times. It was then that the youngest red uniform had an idea. He would try from below the ship while Dearka was to cover him. They dived through the shots and under the Archangel. Chandra reported it. Badgiruel instructed for the lower igelstellung to fire and Ramius ordered the use of the Gottfried, left rolling angle 30, port 20. The spacecraft shifted her position. Inside, the passengers were literally getting pushed around by the boat's sharp movements. The Archangel fired the Gottfried and the Blast its beam weapons. The Blitz lost a hand.

In the Vesalius, a member reported the approach of the enemy ship, distance 740. There was also a communication from the Gamow, confirming that the enemy forces were just the two mobile suits. Le Creuset crossed his fingers. So the enemy mobile armor still could not be launched yet? He had a small smile on his lips...

Kira cursed and kept firing. His machine's power level was quickly decreasing. He was getting desperate. Yzac mocked his tactics, took his beam saber and attacked. Kira blocked with his shield, disengaged and started shooting again. And the duel continued under Athrun's lost, confused, and worried gaze. Yzac was his comrade and Kira was his friend. And these two were fighting. Yzac definitely intended to kill Kira. And indeed Kira was the enemy... or should be... but he couldn't think of him as his enemy... he didn't want him to die... he didn't want to kill him or let a comrade kill him... What should he do?!

Meantime, a Moebius Zero was slowly and silently advancing through the debris. La Flaga was becoming anxious that his target still wasn't into view. But he had to stay calm and not give in to his impatience. Or his mission would be sure to fail.

The Archangel had come closer to the Vesalius and was entering its firing range. Rau Le Creuset said to commence their attack but the captain protested that their mobile suits were still in combat. The commander showed his usual confident smile like he already knew everything. He was not as stupid as to hit allied units. The enemy was going to be the one firing. Ades ordered that the main cannons be ready to fire the enemy battleship.

The fight between the Strike and the Duel was continuing. The Buster had also come to help. Kira had detected another bad thing, just like Chandra... the Archangel was being locked on! Ramius-kanchou was hesitating but not Badgiruel-shoui who commanded to prepare the lohengrin to fire.

"Wait! The Lieutenant's Zero is still approaching!" Murrue dissented. And indeed, even though she didn't know, La Flaga had at last found the target he had been looking for. "Begin evasive maneuver!"

"It'll be too dangerous! If we don't shoot, we will be shot at!"

The captain slammed her fist on her armrest. It was not like she didn't understand her subordinate's argument but nonetheless, she couldn't yet give the order to shoot. They were then informed of the Laurassia-class arriving from behind... Suddenly, Rau Le Creuset felt something. And indeed, La Flaga's Zero was bulleting toward them from below. He ordered for the engines to be at their maximum, stern up, 60 degrees! And it was only after he had given the order that the Vesalius detected the heat signature from the enemy mobile armor. The execution of the orders came too late and even though the shields were activated, the gunbarrels still caused some serious damage leading to a drop in the energy level. Mu cheered. The Moebius Zero passed by and withdrew. Ades wanted to shoot it down but a fire was spreading. They had to withdraw too. Le Creuset cursed and told the captain to inform the Gamow. The Archangel received a communication from the lieutenant stating that the mission had been a success. The crew let out their relief. Now was the chance, Ramius instructed them to fire at the Nazca-class in front of them, inform La Flaga-taii, the Strike and the Blast to evacuate the area and told Badgiruel to prepare the lohengrin.

Nicol and Dearka had gone as reinforcement to bring the Strike down. They were followed by Seren who had gone to help Kira. However, they were two against four, and their power level was another cause for concern. The two EA units might be skillfully dodging the attacks, but it was only a question of time. It was then that the four attackers received the order to withdraw due to the damage on the Vesalius. They were all shocked but obeyed nonetheless. Had they been a second too late, they would not have escaped unscathed from the lohengrin. The Vesalius barely evaded though and its left wing was ravaged by fire and explosions. The ZAFT vessel left the Archangel's firing range.

"Give the Strike and the Blast the signal to retreat! The Archangel will head for Artemis at maximum velocity!" Murrue commanded. Colored flares exploded around the ship. The young pilots immediately recognized them. However, Yzac was hell bent on not letting the Strike get away and kept attacking. He even called Athrun a coward when the latter tried to remind him that a withdrawal order had been issued. Athrun was still hesitating as to what he should be doing, as if caught between ice and fire. And during that time, Kira, Seren, and everyone on the bridge were getting more and more worried about the Blast's, and especially the Strike's power level. The Blast that had come to help the Strike and blow a path was slowly but surely being pushed closer to the Strike. They certainly intended to entirely surround them both and shoot them down like this but it was forgetting the civilians' capabilities. Seren was giving her all in order to strategically place her unit and evade at the last second to make the enemies shoot each other, or put them in a line to shoot several in the same time... although due to the opponents' ability, this approach only met with an all relative success.

However, it was then that the Strike's power level reached zero. The armor returned to its original dull gray color. Its phase-shift system was down! Kira was no longer protected! Yzac was going to slice him in half when Seren shot the Duel, taking its saber and half of its arm that were sticking forth. In the same time, Athrun had transformed the Aegis and caught the Strike. Seren cried the names of her childhood friends before she had to defend against the Blitz and the Buster. The Strike... Kira had been captured! And at this rate, she was going to be shot down! Her current weapons demanded more energy than her shield could absorb, and against those three opponents... But there seemed to be something wrong with them, like their attention was partly diverted by something... and indeed, although she did not know of it, they were arguing between themselves, or rather, they were disputing Athrun's decision to capture the Strike. They had been ordered to destroy it! He must stop doing things on his own accord! Athrun replied it was better to capture it if they could. And even though he naturally kept quite about it, he hoped that Seren, admitting her clearly disadvantageous position, would eventually surrender to him, to them. Even if it was so she could rescue Kira, this way, he could convince them both that his side was the only place where they should and must be...

Unfortunately for him, Seren had her own plan in mind. She quickly broke away and contacted the Archangel. She wanted them to launch one of her packs. She'd equip it in mid-air. She also wanted them to put one of Kira's packs on standby on the catapult immediately afterwards. She and the lieutenant would rescue Kira and he would also equip in midair. The crew couldn't believe it. That was crazy! And if it failed...

"We don't have time to lose! We'll definitely make it succeed!" Seren argued vehemently. La Flaga agreed with her. If it was them...

"What are you doing, Athrun?!" Kira asked, alarmed and anxious.

"I'm taking you to the Gamow. And Seren will follow you."

"Don't joke! I'm not going to a ZAFT ship!" The brown haired boy frantically pushed a number of buttons to try and make his machine work again.

"You're a Coordinator! One of us!"

"No, I'm not part of ZAFT!"

"Stop your nonsense, Kira! You will come." Athrun was speaking in a barely contained voice. "Otherwise... I'll have to shoot you...!" His hands were trembling. He was sweating. The pilot of the Strike ceased protesting. He understood. Just like he didn't want to shoot Athrun, Athrun didn't want to shoot him... "My mother died in the 'Bloody Valentine'..." At this Kira's eyes widened. "I..." Athrun gasped. The Aegis had detected two mobile weapons. The Blast charging straight at it and a mobile armor whose gunbarrels soon detached and attacked from all sides. In this appearance, the mobility of the Aegis was greatly reduced. It took a number of hits and was forced to let go and regain its humanoid form. Athrun cursed. He especially resented Seren. Did she really not understand what he was trying to do?! It couldn't be! Lieutenant La Flaga told Kira to retreat as the Archangel was going to launch his pack.

"There's still a big one behind us! Gear up! Hurry!"

Kira looked through the window. The red unit, Athrun, was fighting the lieutenant and Seren.

"Kira! We decided to protect them, didn't we?! If we don't, then who will?!" Seren yelled. Memories of his Natural friends passed through his mind. The adamantine conviction of her tone had woken him up. But because they had been together for so long, because of the bond they shared, he had also heard the tears of anguish in her voice.

"Understood." Kira withdrew. The pilot of the Aegis screamed his name and was going to chase but the Blast blocked his path.

"Seren..." Athrun gritted his teeth. "Do you really not understand?!"

"And you, do you really understand what you're asking of us, trying to make us choose between our families and friends and you?!" The girl shot back.

"We're also your family, and I'm also your friend!" The ZAFT pilot retorted.

"Then stop that! If you attack, it's obvious we'll have to defend ourselves!"

The Blitz had also stayed but the Duel and Buster had gone after the Strike. The Archangel rained shells after shells on them. They would not allow them near the Strike! Ramius-kanchou was speaking with the chief mechanic Murdoch on the phone. She wanted to know whether the preparations were complete. And well... they were but he still thought it was reckless. Seren didn't have any pursuers but the boy did! What if the pack was shot down?! The captain was well aware of the recklessness of this 'plan' but they didn't have a choice. They had to do it! She hung up and left the timing of the operation to ensign Badgiruel's care. Natarle ordered the matching of the ship's velocity with the Strike's, the adjusting the catapult's launch moment and hand it over to the Launcher Striker's computer.

La Flaga went to distract the Buster and the Duel while Seren stayed to fight Athrun and Nicol. She avoided or blocked their beam weapons while charging at the Aegis and slashing with her saber that was in her left hand. The blow was parried but she changed the angle and pushed, evading a shot from the Blitz. She retaliated with her Schwert Gewehr Lanze that was dodged. She disengaged so her legs wouldn't be cut off by the beam sabers coming out of the Aegis' feet. Despite the lieutenant's efforts, the Duel was still dangerously approaching, but the Strike managed to enter the launching path, and as soon as it did, the commanding officer of the CIC ordered the launching of the pack. The pack was hurled into space. Kira removed his current one. Yzac aimed at him and locked on. The Strike detected it. It was equipping the launcher pack when a rocket sped toward it. His friends on the bridge of the Archangel screamed his name. There was a huge explosion. They stood up. Suddenly, a beam tore through the smoke and disintegrated the Duel's right arm. The Strike broke through, unscathed. The rocket had not touched the gundam. In fact, it had been detonated first... by a shot from the Blast's Schwert Gewehr Lanze. Kira roared and shot a number of times. The Buster came to cover for its comrade. The Moebius Zero, the Blast, the Aegis and the Blitz also joined the fray. But now, as Athrun and Nicol remarked, they were the ones at risk. If they stayed to fight it would be their power levels that would drop to zero. Yzac gritted his teeth, making a frustrated sound, punched the glass of his cockpit and extremely reluctantly, agreed to retreat. After a time, Kira and Seren stopped firing. The crew on the Archangel relaxed.

In the ZAFT pilots' changing room, Yzac angrily slammed Athrun against a locker, his fists tightly clenching the front of his uniform. The blue-haired pilot uttered a painful sound.

"You bastard! What were you trying to do?! If you hadn't pulled those stupid stunts...!"

"It was a total failure... thanks to your insubordination..." Dearka agreed, his arms crossed. Although his voice had been softer, there was contempt and disappointment in his tone, and there was there same resentment in his eyes. The young men had only removed their helmets, which were now floating around. Athrun kept his eyes away from them. They were right, and he knew it. That was why he could not say anything. But for Kira and Seren, who were considered as their enemies, who he should consider as his enemies but was unable to, he had had no choice but to do what he had done. And he could not say a word about them to his allies... It was then that the door opened. It was Nicol. He immediately reprimanded them and told them to stop fighting. This was not the place. However, Yzac still couldn't take this humiliation. How could they not take these two units down despite being superior in numbers?!

"Even so, blaming Athrun now won't change a thing, right?!" Nicol shot back. The oldest pilot turned his sharp blue eyes toward him and made a frustrated noise. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Yzac roughly shoved Athrun away and left, followed by Dearka. Zala still did not budge. "Athrun, I, too, think it wasn't like you. But..." The youngest pilot looked at his 'friend' as if trying to understand what he could have been thinking to act like this.

"Could you leave me alone for now, Nicol...?" And still not daring to meet his gaze, the green-eyed young man left too. He closed the door. But he had barely advanced that he stopped and punched the wall with the side of his right fist. He was angrier and more frustrated than anyone... at himself, and at the pilots of the Blast and the Strike. "Kira, Seren..." He muttered through gritted teeth as the recoil made him hit the opposite wall of the corridor.

Her head down, without looking at anyone, her eyes lost into the distance, Seren left her unit after a time. She was thinking about Athrun. It was then she heard the mechanics calling Kira in vain. She floated toward them, opened the cockpit of the Strike and looked inside. He was trembling in fear and unable to let go. She gazed at him with sadness and went in. She removed his helmet and held his face in her hands.

"Kira, look at me. The fight is over now. We're all fine, the ship, our friends, the lieutenant, you, me, and those guys. We're all unharmed. We protected everyone. So let go, and come. You did well." The girl smiled kindly and warmly, her hands now on his.

"Seren..." Kira let go of the joysticks to wrap his arms around her shoulders and hold her as tight as he could. He was there, alive, with her.

Flay threw herself at Sai and hugged him for dear life. She called him an idiot (for not having been with her) and sobbed and cried about just how scared she had been, all alone, with the ship shaking so much, not caring about all the people around and staring at them. Sai said nothing. He understood her. But despite being a civilian, he had donned the military uniform, and he had been on the bridge during the battle. They were at war. And they were in a battleship. He also understood the feelings of those who had decided to fight.

Kuzzey, Tolle, and Milly were still on the bridge. Artemis had accepted their request for docking and was going to send an inspection ship.

The Vesalius had hidden behind a large debris and the crew members were busy trying to fix her when Rau le Creuset received orders from the Supreme Council to return. And yet, he was smiling, unlike captain Ades who felt rather reluctant to return home after having gotten this far chasing down the enemy ship. However, it could not be helped after the collapse of Heliopolis... the council must be in turmoil. The Commander informed them they would head for home as soon as the repairs were complete. They must also tell Athrun to return. The Gamow was to keep pursuing the Archangel.

As soon as Kira and Seren left the changing room, dressed in their military uniforms, they almost bumped into a smiling Lieutenant La Flaga who instantly wrapped his arms around their necks and brought them closer to him. He had forgotten to tell them something... They must lock the activation program of the Strike and the Blast... so that no one else but they would be able to activate them... Kira had no idea what he was talking about, unlike his childhood friend who had always kept a tab on the forces of this war... and who had already locked the activation program of her unit.

Ramius and Natarle greeted the officers of the Eurasian base and thanked them for allowing them to dock. The ship did a turnabout and entered backward, guided by the rails. She had barely got in that the shields spread again, rendering this fortress impregnable. Seeing as Flay was so filled with wonder, Sai told him it was called a Beam Defense Area, also known as the Umbrella Artemis, an ultimate defense that even lasers could not penetrate. It was just the two of them. Flay was immensely relieved. They were saved now, right? Her fiancé agreed.

The Archangel docked. And a number of people in spacesuits surrounded it and aimed their weapons at it. Naturally, Ramius-kanchou demanded to know the meaning of this, but the Lieutenant Commander merely told her to remain calm.

That was right, humans had always followed only one law: the survival of the fittest. Considering the superpowers that were the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation, such a thing was inevitable. And an alliance was often just a tactic to sacrifice your 'ally' while you ripped the benefits and got rid of rivals. The Atlantic Federation had been the biggest sponsor for the creation of the gundams which were supposed to be their secret weapons, hiding them from even their 'allies'. Now what was going to happen?

* * *

><p>We shared our feelings many times. Even if those were our pain and wounds, they formed a bond between us. But despite that, in wanting to be understood so badly, we had forgotten that the other was there. What could we do to get them back? We had no idea.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Phase-06: Perfect Defense**

The Archangel docked. And a number of people in spacesuits surrounded it and aimed their weapons at it. Naturally, Ramius-kanchou demanded to know the meaning of this, but the Lieutenant Commander merely told her to remain calm.

That was right, humans had always followed only one law: the survival of the fittest. Considering the superpowers that were the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation, such a thing was inevitable. And an alliance was just a tactic to sacrifice your 'ally' while you ripped the benefits and got rid of rivals. The Atlantic Federation had been the biggest sponsor for the creation of the gundams which were supposed to be their secret weapons, hiding them from even their 'allies'. Now what was going to happen?

In the cafeteria, crew members and civilians apprehensively watched the monitor that showed the footage of their ship being targeted by their allies. Flay was especially anxious. She was sure they would be safe here at last and this happened? What did it mean? Soon, armed people entered and held them at gunpoint. The same happened for every single person on the ship. This time it was Natarle who insisted to have explanations. Vidanc-shousa informed them he was simply locking down the ship's controls and weaponry. After all it did not have any valid identification nor of course his forces' identification codes. Considering the situation he had granted them permission to enter the port but unfortunately he could not recognize them as allies yet. Artemis was a military installation. They should be able to understand this much. At this, Badgiruel could not reply anything regardless of how much she disliked the methods they were using. It had struck her law-abiding chord. As a soldier, doubting others was a basic means of survival. They had been careless, but again, they didn't have a choice. They could only grit their teeth now but they had to try. Then he 'requested' that the commanding officers followed him to be filled in on the situation. The two women, joined by La Flaga, boarded a tiny shuttle while all the crew was gathered in the cafeteria.

"So that's their secret military project. They did well hiding that thing." The commander commented.

"It seems the earlier rumors about a ship in Heliopolis were true." His second added.

"I'll have them take a long rest here." Then there was a knock on the door and the Archangel's three commanding officers were brought in. He welcomed them to Artemis.

Unease was weighing the civilians' minds like a ton of bricks. For the crew members, the atmosphere was more akin to menacing storm clouds charged with electricity, reading to release their dangerous load at the slightest spark. Sai asked whether the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation were on bad terms but a crewman said it wasn't that. The problem was that they didn't have an identification code. However, to Murdoch's and Neumann's wise opinion, the real problem was elsewhere...

"Lieutenant Murrue Ramius, Lieutenant Mu La Flaga, Ensign Natarle Badgiruel... I see. Your IDs are definitely of the Atlantic Federation." The commander of the Artemis acknowledged. They also talked about Mu's glorious past as the 'Hawk of Endymion'. During the battle of Grimaldi - where the commandant had also participated as part of Admiral Villard's unit – La Flaga had destroyed five GINNs, greatly encouraging the demoralized Earth Alliance that was on the verge of losing. The Lieutenant thanked him. However, Rear Admiral Gerard Garcia had not expected him on this ship... Mu, knowing his interlocutor was trying to weasel information out of him, politely but clearly replied that he could not fill him in on the details because it was a secret mission. It was then the commander changed tactics. He told them it would be difficult to provide them with supplies. Murrue insisted. They needed to leave for the moon as soon as possible as they were chased by ZAFT. At this, the Rear Admiral showed them footage of the Laurassia-class Gamow lurking outside the Umbrella. They had been at it since the Archangel entered. Well, one or two ships were nothing here. But even if they got their supplies, they wouldn't be able to leave.

"We are what they are after. Waiting like this might even bring damage to Artemis...!" La Flaga attempted to convince him, in vain. The commander laughed his concern off. ZAFT couldn't do anything, and eventually they would leave like they always did. Mu tried to insist but was silenced. They were going to rest for a while since they seemed tired. Rooms would be prepared for them. However, even though the three officers knew what the Rear Admiral was truly planning, they could not defy him and were forced to obey. The commander of the Artemis smoothed things saying he would contact the moon once ZAFT had left but somehow, the others found it rather hard to believe, though theu didn't voice a single thing. The male Lieutenant asked whether Artemis was really safe.

"Yes, like a mother's embrace."

However, children could be torn from their mothers, and mothers, just like children, could be killed when in each other's arms.

In the cafeteria of the Archangel, the crew was complaining while eating. Just how long was this situation going to last?! But well, they couldn't do anything with the three commanding officers being away, and they couldn't really fight their own allies either. Lots of things were happening, even in the Earth Alliance. However, while of course the current situation preoccupied them a lot, it was thoughts of Athrun that mainly haunted Kira's and Seren's mind and made them sigh and play with their food so much.

In their guarded room, Natarle kept pacing back and forth and ranting about the way they were being treated. Even though they were from an 'unknown ship', it was too much! Mu said it couldn't be helped since they had no intention of letting them return to the ship now. What he was really worried about was those people's overconfidence in the safety of Artemis...

And indeed, in the Gamow, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, as well as the captain, were trying to find a way to attack the base and concluded it was impossible, or at the very least, extremely difficult. No laser or projectile could penetrate the lightwave barrier surrounding the asteroid, and the same went for the other side, which was why they didn't attack. It was stupid, according to Dearka, but as the captain pointed out, the fact that it was first class as a defensive weapon could not be denied. As it was not an important base, ZAFT had never seriously tried to take it over. However, it was also true that all their previous attempts had failed. That battleship had sure entered a troublesome place.

"Then what are we going to do? Wait until they come out?" The blonde teen let out a smug and complacent laugh at his own sarcasm. The captain and Yzak glared at him.

"Stop joking, Dearka. Do you want to report to the Commander with a 'I was not able to do anything' when he returns? That'd be an utter disgrace!" Joule sharply rebuked him. The joker averted his eyes after having been told off like this.

"It's not like the umbrella is always activated, right?" Nicol asked. The captain confirmed. It wasn't activated unless there were enemies around. But even if they got close while it was deactivated, it'd close again before they could get within firing range. Elsman shrugged in a 'I told you so, really, what can we do?' manner. But his younger comrade really had an idea. They all turned toward him, astonished. With his unit, the Blitz, they might succeed. Other than Phase Shift, it had another rather interesting function...

Soon, the top officer of the base received the report that the Laurassia-class was leaving. He instructed him to keep monitoring the area and ended the transmission. It was then that his aide entered. The inspection of the ship was proceeding smoothly but there was a lock on the OS of the mobile suits that they were unable to decipher. The mobile suits could not be activated. All the engineers were doing their best to crack it but it was still impossible. The commander cursed.

However, just like Artemis was monitoring the ZAFT vessel, the Gamow was also monitoring the movements of the Umbrella... there had been no change up until now. In the Blitz, Nicol was doing the final checks before his sortie, notably his mirage colloid feature. Once the systems were all green, he sighed. He would have to take a gamble and go without a single test. Will it be okay? Dearka and Yzak were watching his unit from the lounge.

"But the Earth Alliance really knows how to make some unorthodox things." The blue-eyed leader commented. His comrade replied it suited Nicol perfectly... since he was a coward. The Blitz headed to the catapult.

Rear Admiral Garcia entered the cafeteria of the Archangel with his attendant. They wanted to know the whereabouts the pilots of the mobile suits as well as their mechanics. Kira was going to stand up but he was stopped by Seren and Murdoch. He looked at them quizzically but the girl's cold and piercing eyes were fixed onto the Eurasian officers. Neumann stepped forward.

"Why are you asking us?"

"What?" The assistant menacingly grabbed the front of ship's pilot.

"Is it because the captain and the others didn't say? Or is it because you didn't ask them?" Neumann continued, unfazed, skilfully trying to uncover some information about them while withholding theirs. At this, Kira understood and remembered La Flaga telling him to lock the Strike. The commander stopped his underling from being too violent.

"I see. So you people are the elite soldiers from the Atlantic Federation chosen for this top secret project."

"What are you planning to do with the Strike and the Blast?"

"Nothing really. It's just that we've been blessed with this opportunity to view them before their unveiling. Who are the pilots?" Garcia explained himself with honeyed words and otherwise-flavoured intentions that could be keenly felt by everyone, and especially military and related personnel. Murdoch replied that it was Lieutenant La Flaga. If there was anything they wanted, they should ask him. However, his lie did not last a single second. They had also monitored the battle that had taken place. Even the commander knew that La Flaga was the only one who could pilot a Zero-type so smoothly. He then painfully grabbed Milly's arm and pulled her up. She winced. Her boyfriend bolted upright and cried her name. Murdoch kept Kira from doing the same and Seren glared even more fiercely. "I don't think a girl would be a pilot... but since this ship's captain is also a woman..." He twisted her arm and held her closer, his smirk and tone so devious it was disgusting. Seren snapped a tiny second before Kira.

"There isn't only one woman here." The dark brown haired girl stood up. "But to threaten one who obviously fears you... just how low and boorish can you get? If that is how you treat your allies, I fear for the fate of the Earth Alliance. No wonder ZAFT keeps running all over you." She posed condescendingly. The bald rear admiral lightened his grip and once more stopped his subordinate from using his fists.

"But ZAFT never got this base."

"I don't think they ever seriously tried since its strategic advantage is low. Your complacence will cause your doom." She was chuckling but her eyes were dead serious. That was the last straw, her insolence had gone overboard. The aide grabbed her but she instantly applied an arm lock to make him let go and swept his legs, making him fall. "Men should never be rude with ladies. You must be nice if you want to hope for a favorable response. Not like I'll give you any though. But isn't it easier to believe that _**I**_ am a pilot?"

As the operators of the Umbrella detected no enemy presence, they shut down the beam defense area in all directions and descended to a level 2 battle alert. That was the cue for the Blitz to launch. Nicol successfully activated his mirage colloid with a spread loss at 35%, which allowed him a maximum of 80 minutes of invisibility and undetectability. He slowly and silently headed to the asteroid.

Because of Seren's actions and words, the conflict spread. Others threatened her, Kira defended her and also named himself as a pilot. The commander did not want to believe kids like them could operate such things and particularly resented Kira, thinking he just wanted to protect the girls and was mocking him. The rear admiral tried to punch him but the boy sent him flying with a judo move and angrily told him he had no right to hit him. Against Murdoch's advice, the two resisted more. Normally, Seren would have been one to help calm her childhood friend but since they had menaced Milly... Sai tried to defend them both but was hit. Flay cried his name and told everyone to stop. What Kira and Seren were saying was true. They were the pilots! Tolle tensely said her name, hoping she would not say what she shouldn't, but it was in vain. The Eurasian officer told her to knock it off too but she wouldn't. She wasn't lying, because those two were Coordinators! Murdoch hit his own forehead. They all looked at the two teens with different eyes.

The Coordinators were taken away. And Tolle flared up at Flay for blabbering. She justified herself saying it was the truth. Tolle asked her if she didn't care what would happen to Kira and Seren. The girl got angry at the way he was calling her. Besides, these two were friends, and this was an allied base, right? Then it was ok!

"Who the HECK do you think the Earth Alliance is fighting against?! And if those guys were really our allies, they wouldn't be holding us at gunpoint!" Tolle shot back, getting more and more infuriated with Flay's appaling thick-headedness.

Kira, Seren, and the group of Eurasian officers arrived before the Strike and the Blast. They just needed to unlock the OS, right? The commander agreed, though only for starters, since they should be able to do a lot more... like analyze these things and create similar ones, or create a weapon capable of going against them...

"We're just civilians and students. We're not soldiers nor employed by the military. There's no reason why we must do such things!" The boy declared vehemently.

"But you are traitors to the Coordinators."

"Traitors?!" Kira's eyes widened while Seren's narrowed. In their minds, a familiar scene was playing. A path bordered by blooming cherry trees, and a kind, smiling blue-haired boy...

"I don't know the reason, but you did betray your kind. Then for you..."

Their Athrun who was giving them parting gifts... the Athrun who had menaced them with his combat knife in Heliopolis...

"No! We-"

"Coordinators are rare and valuable in the Earth Alliance. There's nothing to worry about. You will be forgiven... in Eurasia."

"Sorry. I'm not part of ZAFT but I don't belong to the Earth Forces either... and I have no intention to do anything that would benefit either. I piloted that mobile suit but only for my own sake." Seren told them.

"Then for your own sake, you will work for us." The bald man raised his arm. The soldiers aimed at her. The girl closed her eyes. With this, she had prevented any possibility of her friends being targeted and used against her. She smirked.

"Well, I guess it's true I should start unlocking the system. ZAFT will attack soon, I must be ready." The female Coordinator agreed. Her childhood friend sharply turned to her, his eyes wide. Of course he had disliked her taking such risks (although he knew she could get out of most situations on her own) but more importantly... what?! ZAFT will attack?! This umbrella of Artemis?! And get through?! Or maybe she was just ribbing them? He studied her more closely. She didn't didn't seem to be lying or joking. For having spent so many years with her he knew... no matter what people said, her predictions were almost prophecies. As she said, he better be ready too, just in case...

"Humph, such useless bravado again... you really don't know when to give up..."

"Is it really? I just don't think such a thing as an 'absolute defense' exists." _One of the units stolen by ZAFT has an interesting ability. It could easily slip in, unnoticed, invisible, and destroy your unprotected lightwave barrier generators after you have taken down that energy-intensive umbrella... And indeed, that attack will be the perfect diversion to escape..._ "But after all, what do I know? Even if I'm a Coordinator, I'm still just a kid who's lived a sheltered life in a peaceful country... I will unlock the OS. I don't want to be shot." Seren shrugged and boarded the Blast. Actually, for a time now, she had been spending a considerable amount of time studying the gundams that had been stolen at Heliopolis and analyzing the battle data of their pilots. But even though she was "still just a kid who's lived a sheltered life in a peaceful country" somehow, because of her aplomb, she had managed to make everyone uneasy. The commander merely snorted... There was no way he would let the ravings of a teenager – let alone one of those untrustworthy Coordinators who looked down on them – get to him.

Well, leaving their abilities aside, Seren didn't want to give them any type of information regarding these units. It was clear that their potential was far greater that initially imagined by those who came up with their concepts. Although this potential relied greatly on the pilot and could only be truly brought forth by Coordinators, it was simply overwhelming. Both machines might be prototypes but were very versatile multi-modes units. The Strike could be outfitted for high mobility, heavy assault or heavy melee combat. The gundams' operation time was limited to the charge of their ultracompact energy battery but the packs included a backup battery to extend that time.

Well, with its 17,95 meters for 69,2 metric tons, it was slightly taller and heavier than the Strike's 17,72 meters for 64,8 metric tons but that was because in its plain state, the Blast was already more equipped than the Strike... Also, the Blast's adaptability was even greater with its packs divided by range and fighting in space or on Earth. It should be noted though that this advantage was countered by the time lost putting on all the equipment. It also benefited from the special system feature as part of the X200 series – the Svalinn Shield here – that could furthermore extend the operation time by using the energy from the beams it stopped to recharge the battery (as long as the pilot was careful not to exceed the absorption capacity in the heat of battle). Well it already balanced energy-extensive weapons and shell weapons. And as a relay point between the commander unit of the Alliance's G Project – the Aegis – and the other units it had its communication and analysis capabilities slightly enhanced. It might need time to prepare but it had clearly been designed to be able to provide instant and decisive support in any situation with speed, efficiency, and firepower as soon as it got out. Another problem was that it couldn't be piloted by just anybody. For a truly proficient utilization, there were requirements needed, even more so than with the other units... The pilot had to possess a particularly sharp sense, instinct, rapid information processing and analytical skills, great adaptability, and breadth of vision, allowing for quick decisions.

Time passed, spent in anxious silence and waiting for everyone... until the Blitz was close enough and shot the defensive mechanisms. The explosions were heard and felt deep within the asteroid. The highest officer called the control room and asked what it was. However, they couldn't answer. The cause was unknown! Even now, they still couldn't detect anything! There was nothing in the area! They thought it was a long distance attack. The activation of the umbrella was ordered. The lightwave barrier generators moved and were immediately spotted and cut down. Nicol inactivated his mirage colloid, rendering his mobile suit detectable at last. The alarm resonated in the base. The crew of the Archangel became restless and menacing as they demanded explanations that their captors were unable to give. That was an attack no matter how you looked at it! Neumann roughly pushed a soldier and escaped. Fortunately, the other guards were taken down by Sai, Tolle, Chandra and another before they could shoot at him. There was no time for that! The crew hurried to the bridge and took their positions. Neumann ordered the starting up. Someone asked about the captain and the others but at this rate, they would become sitting ducks!

And in the room where the three officers were locked, La Flaga had also instantly found a way to take advantage of the situation. He was screaming that the explosion had opened up a crevice in the wall (and the air was escaping, meaning they would die soon). In a whisper, he asked the women to shout too so they'd open the door, though only Murrue obeyed. The door opened and Mu knocked the first sentry out with a hand chop on the nape and the second with a punch in the guts. The three escaped too as they didn't want to die along with Artemis.

The Blitz had entered the port and was shooting everything that stood in the way. The commander still couldn't believe that the umbrella had been destroyed. The two young mobile suits pilots also lost no time and at the first opening, kicked their guards away, closed the cockpits and moved their humanoid weapons. The commander cursed, and after he was admonished by the teens that were was no time for that as they were under attack, he cursed even more and fled. They equipped the sword striker and nova blade blast and activated their phase shift armor.

Nicol finally came in view of the Archangel, but before he could attack the ship the Strike and the Blast arrived to intercept him. His Gleipnir Anchor and Kira's Panzer Eisen rocket anchor collided harmlessly while Seren made a sweep for his legs with her Schwert Gewehr Lanze. The weapon grazed him. Sparks flew. She moved aside to avoid being shot down at point blank range.

The Duel and Buster were also quickly approaching, obviously planning to sink the fortress. The three commissioned officers of the Atlantic Federation ship quickly returned to their position on the bridge, much to their subordinates' relief and pleasure. La Flaga praised Miriallia and Sai, who asked him what was with this fortress (surely referring to – and upset about – how they had been held hostage and treated as enemies despite this being a supposedly allied base). However, they still didn't have time for explanations. They couldn't deploy their weapons here. Ramius-kanchou commanded the launching of the ship. The two mobile suits naturally were to protect her during this delicate phase. But the ZAFT soldier had his hands full. While the Strike used front attacks, the Blast kept anticipating both allied and enemy positions and movements, allowing its pilot to strategically attack or defend. It wouldn't be so difficult if it was just one of them but these two completed each other too well!

But Seren knew. Kira did not have his usual sharpness. The commander's comment about them being traitors to Coordinators had greatly upset him. He screamed. And she could hear the tears of desperation in his voice. He just wanted for everyone to leave him and his friends alone. He wanted people to stop expecting and trying to make him choose a side. He was being too emotional... she could tell by the way he moved. That was why she had to protect him. She had to stay strong, calm, and level-headed for the both of them. She would never allow him to die.

Nicol and his Blitz were being pushed to the limits of their abilities. If Yzak and Dearka did not come soon he would really be in danger. But it was strange. Something seemed off. Something about the Blast... but he could not tell exactly what. In the port, the Duel and the Buster shot mobile weapon after mobile weapon but they still hadn't found Nicol or the ship they had been chasing. The commander of the base was giving orders to shoot the ZAFT vessel. There was no way Artemis could be taken down by only one ship! It was then that a mobile armor, heavily damaged by the Buster, crashed into the control room. Everyone burned in the detonation.

Among the continuous explosions, in the smoke and heat, in a blazing inferno awfully and revoltingly similar to what Heliopolis had been right before utterly breaking down, the white Archangel made a turn about. Lieutenant Ramius ordered that the Strike and the Blast be called back immediately. They would use the opposite exit to escape from Artemis! Milly transmitted the order. Kira hesitated for a few seconds and obeyed. Seren followed, shooting the shaft as she did and letting the blasts from the explosions hinder the enemy and increase her speed. The Earth Alliance units landed on the ship. And the Archangel launched at maximum velocity, almost getting caught in the explosions as it burst forth from the tunnel and shot into the darkness of space... right in front of the powerless Blitz, Buster, and Duel. They had cornered the ship and it had escaped right before their nose.

The childhood friends left their machines. Kira completely ignored lieutenant La Flaga who had come to greet them and went past him. Seren stopped briefly, lightly bowed and apologized saying they would be sure to report later, and went after her companion. With a heavy sigh, the boy sat down on his bed before lying down on his side, facing the wall, his purple eyes closed.

"I..." He whispered, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"Kira?" He heard Seren's voice. He did not say anything. Suddenly the young man felt a depression on the bed and her warm and comforting contact. She had sat behind him and leant against him, her head on his shoulder, her left hand on his head and her right hand holding his tightly curled right fist. "You know, I won't let what those guys said get to me. So you shouldn't either. They don't know anything about us. No matter what people think, no matter how much we are disparaged or distrusted, no matter if the dream we have is unattainable, we don't have a choice but do what we can to protect what we have. Even though I don't know the way yet, for you, for Athrun, for myself, for everyone, I promise I'll try to change the situation. So don't worry, it'll be alright. I am here. I am here." She squeezed him tighter.

* * *

><p>The inevitable illusion, a trap of rationality. The deception pains the heart. We were so innocent as to not know war. We were almost bewildered by these grown-ups' opinions because we no longer exist as children.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**Phase-07: The Choice for Survival**

"You are bringing Athrun Zala to the inquiry?" Captain Ades asked as the Vesalius was preparing to dock.

"Yeah, because he was there as well. He is able to provide a calm, objective analysis." Rau Le Creuset answered.

"I understand that Orb is protesting emphatically."

"The problem is... what is important to US, Ades."

"Yes."

"Hurry with the Vesalius' repairs and resupplies. We may have been given a short break but there's no time for us to relax... Probably..." A strange smile appeared on the Commander's lips.

The bridge of the Archangel... everyone was relieved to have shaken off the Laurassia-class Gamow. Artemis had preoccupied the enemy, allowing the warship to escape practically unnoticed, which was about the only thing it could be thanked for given the way the people in the so-called allied Eurasian base had treated the personnel and civilians of the Archangel. However, nothing had been solved, since they had not been resupplied...

"Eh? Do I really have to?" Flay whined. Sai and Tolle were trying to convince her to apologize to Kira and Seren, especially Tolle, since it was a fact that because of her unnecessary blabber, they had got into a lot of trouble. "But, I was just..."

"We are used to it, but the fact that they're Coordinators poses a delicate problem in these circumstances."

"Anyway, you should at least tell them that you're sorry. Otherwise, you won't feel comfortable being on the same ship with them, right? Like when you pass each other."

"If Sai says so, I'll do it..." She **reluctantly** gave in.

"But I wonder what will happen to this ship..."

"Yeah. In the end, we didn't get resupplied at Artemis. ZAFT's probably going to come after us again."

Rau Le Creuset and Athrun Zala, entered a shuttle. The Commander immediately saluted the man who had been sitting there. And after his initial shock, the young red uniform saluted too.

"Please permit us to travel with you, chairman of the National Defense Committee, Your Excellency, Senator Zala." The blonde officer requested. The senator raised his hand in a gesture of peace.

"There is no need for formalities. I am not on this shuttle. Understood, Athrun?"

"Understood, father. It has been a while." The boy replied unemotionally. And so, the shuttle left the Vesalius. And having read his son's report, Patrick Zala agreed with him. The problem was that the Earth Alliance had developed such advanced mobile suits. The pilots did not matter. So he had gone ahead and deleted that section. Athrun turned to him, surprised. Le Creuset thanked him. He had known he would choose to do so. The young pilot looked from one to the other, obviously puzzled.

"Of course. Just think of the reactions if we told them that the machines we left behind are piloted by Coordinators. It would give the moderate faction something to waste time arguing over." Indeed, if only Coordinators could pilot those mobile suits to such a level, then there would be no need to take drastic measures against the Earth Alliance. If Coordinators were actually siding with the ones who should have been their sworn enemy, the Earth Forces... against ZAFT, against the PLANTs... then the possibility of cohabitation should be considered once more... but one exception did not invalidate a rule. Those two pilots were just anomalies to be dispatched. There was no time for foolish peace talks.

"It must have been difficult for you to report that your own friends have joined the Earth Forces..." The Commander turned to Athrun who was sitting behind him.

"Ah... no, but..."

"Those people created mobile suits that have this much power even when piloted by Naturals. Do you understand, Athrun?"

"Yes..." Of course, he did not want people to think of his precious friends as traitors to their cause. But somehow with this conversation, he felt he stepped stepped into a territory far bigger and more complicated than he could have imagined and of which he understood extremely little. Besides... Heliopolis burning, the moment when he had seen them for the first time after so many years, after he had shot that female officer and charged at them with his knife, ready to kill. Seren who had leapt forth to protect Kira. And Kira who had remained at that wounded woman's side. The moment they had recognized each other and frozen. The moment time had stopped for the three of them... Even though he had missed them so much, why did they have to reunite in such a way...?

"We have to take it more seriously now. To end this war as quickly as possible."

Tolle choked on his food and asked for water. His girlfriend gave him her glass which barely had a third of liquid left. He asked for more. Sai told him to stop. There was no time for manga-like gags. The brown haired boy retorted that it was not a gag. Sai sat next to his fiancée who scooted away from him. He scooted closer to her. This game went on for some time until he asked what was wrong. She whined again like a five-year-old kid that because of the water restrictions, she had not been able to take a shower. They all looked at her as if wondering whether she was alright in her head. There she went again with that carefree spoilt princess personality. How could she worry about that given the circumstances? Her promised heaved a deep sigh and readjusted his glasses. It was then that Kira and Seren came in. They had just finished with the maintenance of the Strike and the Blast. The boy was dressed in the standard blue uniform of the crewman 2nd class, like his fellow male students. The girl had the white and dark Thulian pink uniform jacket, a sea green skirt, long black leggings, and white and pink ankle boots. Well, they had practically finished. It was just that it was a pain that they couldn't clean the parts with the washing machine. Flay sighed as if troubled to have two such warmongers here. But they didn't do it because they liked it. If the maintenance was bad, it could cost them their lives. Sai nudged Flay who stood up and walked over to the Coordinators.

"Um, Kira, Seren. I'm sorry for earlier!" She bowed suddenly and straightened herself again. "I said that without thinking."

""That"?"

"At Artemis, when I said you were Coordinators..."

"Ah, don't worry about that. I don't really mind. It's true after all." Kira smiled good-heartedly. Flay thanked him and turned to Seren.

"Indeed, Kira is right." The hazel eyed girl agreed. Flay was even more relieved. "And it's also true that you could have gotten us killed. Maybe you were too incredibly stupid to be able to grasp the situation or maybe you didn't care what would happen to us Coordinators, or even both." Seren spoke calmly and firmly with a sad and pleading expression, without condemnation. She really hated to think and speak that way of a person regarded so fondly by her treasured friends. But she had to clearly expose situation, to make her understand. However, regardless of her tone, her words had been too blunt. And she felt herself the center of the boys' reprobation, especially Kira, who yelled her name.

"That's...!" Flay began.

"Kira, spoil her any more than that and she'll turn rotten. I know she wanted to help Sai and that was great of her. But that was a matter of life and death for us. She needs to properly undertand that point. Also, Flay, I'm sorry but I can only accept excuses when they are truly heartfelt. Even though you didn't want to since you had just said the truth, you apologized only because Sai and Tolle asked you, right? I don't need any empty apology. You don't have to force yourself now. It's fine if you can just comprehend what you've done and think more before you act. So, I'll wait until you can speak from your own heart." She smiled earnestly. Flay kept quiet. Seren went to the Natural boys and bowed deeply. "Sai, Tolle, for Kira's sake, thank you for your concern and your efforts to try to make everything go well. I'm very grateful to you. However, it's fine with me. I prefer that she keeps telling me the truth, even a painful one, instead of honeyed lies for the sake of appearances. I'm sorry if I hurt you all but I can't help finding someone who's openly and straightforwardly hostile more trustworthy than someone who hides her dislike behind her smiles. I want to be able to trust her like I trust you, and conversely. And trust can't exist without honesty. And so, for you guys... pretending or sugar-coating my words are things I cannot do. I'm sorry." She remained like this for a time, her torso parallel to the floor. She hated hurting them, but more than that, she couldn't lie to herself or to them. And for that same reason, being lied to was something she could not tolerate, not from someone who would call herself a friend.

Before, on Heliopolis, it would have been fine since they didn't have much contact. But now things had changed. They were all practically living together like some huge family and given her relationship to Sai and how Milly and Kira felt for her, things couldn't remain as they were. They had to be clear, find out each other's limits...

Suddenly, she felt a hand on both her shoulders. Sai and Tolle apologized too. She didn't need to be so stuck up. They knew her personality, and understood her. They had expected something like this to happen. It was just that... well...

Flay glared at her. What was that? That attitude even though she was apologizing... and that Coordinator going out of her way to make her seem like the bad girl... and make herself appear like a saint... her blue eyes narrowed and became fiercer. But again, she had misinterpreted Seren's personality. Seren was not one to actually make the effort to go out of her way for someone she didn't particularly like. And for someone she wanted to try to like, she was completely honest with the good and bad things alike... because there could be no real relationship without trust, and no trust without honesty.

But still, what was going to happen from now on? After all, they still had not resupplied...

Seren was walking alone in the hallways. Kira was resting, the others were at the bridge and Flay... who knew? She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the laughing and running behind her until something crashed against her legs and almost made her fall. She turned to see a heap of kids on the ground, rubbing themselves. They apologized and a doting smile appeared on her face. It was fine to play around but they should be more careful... or so she had been going to say until Athrun's face flashed in her mind, his blue hair in the wind among the cherry blossoms, the softness of his expression, the tenderness in his eyes, his fine features, his comforting voice and words... and then he had gone... and he had found them again, as a soldier, as a ZAFT mobile suit pilot, he had attacked her home, he had menaced them with that knife... and even now... Her frozen smile turned into a sad one.

_"Don't be so naïve! This is war! And you belong with us! Come with me..."_

Why she wouldn't go with him... what she was fighting for...

The young woman knelt down.

"Nee, if you run around so much you might bother the adults so how about we all go into a room together with all the children? If you tell me your wishes, we can make them into a song. I'm sure it would make everyone feel better." She suggested. And watching their genuine happiness, she felt the lump in her heart lighten and dissolve a little. And it wasn't very long before their voices started resounding. Seren felt comforted and her resolve reinforced and knew everyone was the same as her. She wanted to protect those children's pure and innocent smiles because they made her feel that everything would be okay, that she could make it okay... they gave her hope, the hopes they had for the future, and she wanted to give voice to them and share them with everyone. It was a very simple song... about losing and picking back, parting and meeting again, about green grass and tumbling with animals, about the good things that happened and their wish for a tomorrow with other good things. It was about the feeling of being together with your friends and how it turned into wings able to make you fly, getting into fights, crying, being unable to apologize, how it was useless to scream and cry inside your heart unless you put it into words, how money couldn't buy friends, how they missed the ones they had parted with, how they liked their new friends, and even if they had nothing, the important was to be with everyone... and laugh together with a loud voice. It was... a prayer... for everyone to listen to their dreams...

Natarle complained when she saw on the simulator the possible routes they could take. Wasn't there a better one? Neumann told her it was impossible. If they strayed too close to Earth, they would end up in the Debris Belt, although they would get to the moon's orbit faster this way.

"We can't break through...can we?" Ramius inquired despite knowing the answer. The pilot (Neumann) vehemently denied the possibility. If they headed in there at their current velocity, this ship would become debris as well!

"A mountain of waste created by humans since they gained the ability to move freely in and out of space..." Mu La Flaga trailed off pensively. "It's true I don't want to become part of- wait... the Debris Belt, eh... I'm a man who makes the impossible possible." He smiled and stood up.

"And next, on the first anniversary of Junius 7, Senator Clyne of the Supreme Council has made this statement:" – "This tragic event has left us with a deep sorrow we will never forget." News of the press conference was playing in the elevator where Rau was sitting, reading a report, and Athrun standing by his side, on stand-by.

"Speaking of which, that girl is your fiancée, isn't she?" The commander asked him, referring to the beautiful girl with long wavy pink hair and kind blue eyes standing obediently, quietly, and elegantly at her father's side. The boy confirmed after a slight fumble. "Lacus-jou is the representative of the memorial delegation. That's most impressive." The man praised. The red uniform agreed soberly. "The marriage between you two who inherited the bloodline of Senator Zala and Senator Clyne... it's certain to become a glorious beacon for the next generation. We're looking forward to it." Athrun thanked him, his tone formal and unemotional. "We must protect that era." Le Creuset declared. The young pilot lightly hung his head and his eyebrows knitted ever so slightly.

And so, the special inquiry regarding the destruction of Heliopolis in the territory of the Orb Union began. Rau Le Creuset was first to report.

"Resupply?!" The teens on the bridge of the Archangel exclaimed. "Can we get it? Where?"

"Well... rather than getting it, it more like we'll be taking it ourselves at our convenience." Mu corrected them. From his expression, it was obvious something didn't sit well with him concerning the solution they had found. The same was for all the present officers. But it didn't seem like there were any choice in the matter.

"We'll be taking from the wrecked ships in the Debris Belt, right?" Seren evoked with an expression that could kill. Her friends turned to her with exclamations of shocked disbelief before looking insistently at the ranked ones for confirmation. Only Sai had this feeling that it was indeed as she had said.

"Exactly! As expected of Seren. You're a sharp one! But please don't look at us that way. You know we've got no choice. If we don't, WE are not gonna last." La Flaga began in a fake light hearted tone before staring back at her, no longer smiling at all. The girl averted her eyes and her fierce expression melted into sadness. He was right. She knew it... but still!

"I want you guys to help out by operating the pods outside the ship." The captain informed them.

"We're not too happy about it either but we don't have a choice if we want to survive." Natarle added.

"We're not trying to disturb the dead or fish around for lost items." Ramius continued softly, trying to appease and convince the children. "We're just trying to take a little bit of what we're in immediate need of. In order to survive."

"Thus concludes the report, and I hope you can understand that our purpose was never to attack Heliopolis itself. And the responsibility for the collapse lies in fact with the Earth Forces." Le Creuset saluted and went to sit down. The senators did not miss the opportunity to lay all the blame on Orb. They had been cooperating with the Earth Alliance after all. THEY were the ones who ignored the treaty. Eileen Canaver tried to temperate them by reminding them what Representative Athha had said... in vain. Her peers mocked her. There was no way words from people who lived on Earth could be trusted. Patrick Zala stood up.

"But Commander Le Creuset, those Earth Alliance mobile suits... were they truly worth all the sacrifices made in order to obtain them?" He questioned. The Commander stood up too.

"Regarding their outstanding power and abilities, I've brought a pilot who has not only operated one of those units but also battled the two we failed to take. I think you should hear Athrun Zala on this matter." The white uniform suggested. After a moment, Senator Clyne allowed it. The young pilot stood up, walked forth, saluted, and began by presenting the features of the Aegis and the six other units. When he was finished, the whole Supreme Council was appalled. Some started cursing the Naturals for creating such horrendous things. Once more, Eileen tried to tone things down by pointing out that they were still in the prototype phase. And there were only 6. What danger did they pose? Yzak's mother argued that at this point, they were only one step away from mass production. Was it alright then to wait and panic once it was too late? This clearly indicated the Naturals' true intentions! They wanted to further escalate this war! The council grew more and more tumultuous until Chairman Siegel Clyne silenced them. No one heard Le Creuset snort mockingly or saw the strange smile that had appeared on his lips, not even Athrun sitting at his side and watching the upset among the PLANTs' highest executives with an anxious expression.

"No one wishes for war. Who among us actually hopes to be on the battlefield? To live in peace, happiness, and serenity. That is all we wished for. But who ruthlessly shattered that wish? Who deprived us of our freedom and continued to use us Coordinators for their own convenience and greed? We will never forget that Bloody Valentine, the attack on Junius 7." Patrick Zala declared. Junius 7... one of the few agricultural colonies that helped PLANT grow its own food, allowing the Zodiac Alliance to become self-sufficient. Three days after the outbreak of war between PLANT and the Earth Alliance, on February 14, the Agamemnon-class carrier Roosevelt, covertly loaded with a nuclear missile by a group of Blue Cosmos members within the Alliance military, left the Moon, headed for the "Junius City" area of the Zodiac Alliance for what was intended as a show of force. During a fierce battle between the defending ZAFT ships and the Roosevelt and her escorts, a nuclear missile was fired and hit Junius Seven. The blast caused the colony to break apart, killing 243,721 Coordinators, most of whom were civilians, among which Senator Zala's wife and Athrun's mother: Lenore Zala.

The Strike and the Blast had left the Archangel, along with a number of pods. But soon after they had entered the Debris Belt, the youths saw something that froze their blood in their veins more than the coldness of space ever could. All this agricultural machinery... these pieces of land... it couldn't be... Junius 7...?! The captain of the Archangel-class stood up, as dismayed and bewildered as the teens, her eyes wide, her mouth open, her hand before it...

"243 721 lives... A year has passed since we lost so many comrades in that abominable incident. And still, we've endured, making only the minimal demands in an attempt to end this war as quickly as possible." Senator Zala went on. "However, those Naturals have put our efforts to waste, time and time again!"

Natarle in a space suit opened a door. Milly screamed, turned, and shut her eyes tight after seeing what was inside. A long haired woman holding her baby. The bodies were floating around other objects. They seemed to be in the child's room. Tolle comforted his crying girlfriend. Kira and Seren hung their heads and gritted their teeth. The ensign lit her torchlight and looked around.

Athrun's father raised his fist. "We fight to protect ourselves. If we cannot protect ourselves without fighting, then we have no choice but to fight!" While a number of people agreed, the moderates like Clyne and Canaver lowered their heads and sighed resignedly. They were a minority.

"Use the water over there?!" Kira and Seren exclaimed, outraged, distressed, upset. "Are you serious?!" For the two of them, this went beyond the 'normal' moral dilemma. And not just because they too were Coordinators... this touched them personally. That place was also Lenore's – Athrun's mother's – resting place!

"There's close to a hundred millions tons of ice here."

"But you saw for yourself Natarle-san! That PLANT is where hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives! And yet...!" The boy insisted. The captain gently reasoned that it was the only place where water had been found. Her fellow lieutenant went to her aid. No one was jumping in joy or screaming 'Hurray, we found water'.

"Nobody wants to step into that place if we can avoid it. But we have no choice. We're alive! That means we have to stay alive!" He pointed at his chest with his thumb, his blue eyes narrowed in determination. Even though the adults knew that they could not afford soft-heartedness in such circumstances, that did not mean they had no heart. And they were trying to make the children understand. After a long and heavy silence, Seren finally agreed. Her friends tried to protest against this betrayal but she silenced them with a look, their breath caught in their throat, their chests tightened, for her moist hazel eyes reflected all the pain, sorrow, and resolve she felt. They all hung their heads. She had one condition, though.

The council members exited the room. At the entrance, a guard and Athrun were saluting them. Senator Clyne greeted the boy and told him there was no need for formalities. The teen (who had always been a rather awkward and self-restrained person) stammered a little, obviously uneasy about addressing someone familiarly... and especially his current interlocutor. They walked away to the relief of the fossil of a winged whale, Evidence 01. The first evidence of extraterrestrial life of intelligence discovered by the first Coordinator. The chairman was lamenting. Just when Athrun had finally returned, this time it was Lacus who was away at work. Just when would they be able to make some time to see each other? The young elite soldier apologized. Although the senator laughed slightly and told him there was no reason to apologize to him. That said, it looked like things were going to get hectic again. And he also understood what his father was saying.

Then the red uniform was called by his commanding officer who was followed by his father. They were going to track down that newly-made ship and those mobile suits. They would leave in 72 hours. Le Creuset and Athrun left. Patrick joined Siegel before the fossil.

"We don't have much time left. Why are we extending the war for no purpose?" Clyne asked.

"That is exactly why we cannot forgive them. Those who get in our way."

On every public screen of the PLANTS, Lacus Clyne started singing her gentle song with her soft voice. A song and a voice to heal and appease everyone's anxious and wounded hearts... Shizukana yoru ni – in a quiet night - A song about disappearing smiles, distance, falling stars, compassion, and the hope to meet again. Athrun drove his Commander to his destination.

In the Archangel, Seren had recruited the children to make paper flowers as per her condition. She had gotten especially close with an adorable little girl with golden brown pigtails, clear blue eyes, a light yellow top, and pink overalls. She was so pure each time Seren saw her she would transform into a completely doting big sis barely able to let go...which was why Elle-chan had to remain on her lap during the confection of the flowers that could not wither... even if they had to stay near Flay who constantly needed help. The Heliopolis students helped too.

Milly let go of her arms full of flowers. They floated into the wrecked colony. All the staff was standing, their heads down, their eyes closed, many had their fists against their hearts. No matter how trivial the gesture may seem, the profoundness of their feelings was real. Their respect, their regrets, their sorrow, their thanks, their apologies.

Athrun placed a bouquet a flowers on his mother's grave. And kneeling down, he remembered his father's words... 'We fight to protect ourselves. If we cannot protect ourselves without fighting, then we have no choice but to fight.' He stood up and left.

The pods were sawing through the ice and conveying them to the ship with the two gundams were patrolling around. For the water, they still needed about four hours, but for the ammunition they would be done within one. It was then that Kira noticed a recently shot down civilian vessel... and appearing behind it... an enforced reconnaissance GINN. If it found the Archangel and called for reinforcement, they would be finished! He locked on the target but didn't shoot, silently and desperately begging it to leave without noticing anything. And for a moment, that's exactly what happened. The boy sighed in great relief... before a second later, a pod transporting material passed right before him. The GINN remarked it and returned.

"Stupid idiot!" Kira yelled in despair. "Why did you have to see it?!" He locked on the ZAFT mobile suit again but hesitated. Kuzzey and Chandra, who were in the vehicle, had noticed it too, and that they were being locked on by it. Kira was still hesitating. The GINN fired. The shoot ricocheted off one of the loaded boxes. The impact shook the pod and violently pushed it. They screamed. The Strike fired and hit the shoulder. The enemy machine aimed at him. The boy pressed the button again, in the same time as Seren who had seen the commotion from afar and came to help. And the GINN and its pilot were destroyed. The sights retracted. Gritting her teeth, crying, Seren violently struck the sides of her cockpit her fists. Kira raised his trembling hands, in shock at what he had done. They had never felt it so keenly before. They had killed someone, and not in the heat of battle, not as an indirect consequence... That was a decision they had taken... in order to protect their comrades. And nothing could alleviate their pain and guilt, not the heartfelt thanks of those comrades, not the knowledge that their decision had been 'rational' and 'justified', which sounded just like an excuse... nothing. They cut off La Flaga who was asking what was wrong by pressing the button cutting all communications. They turned their hands into fists and hit the panel, tears streaming from his eyes. But then, Kira felt himself, or rather the Strike being shaken. He looked up and saw the Blast. It stepped back a little and hit its own chest with its fist. That was right. Seren had fired and hit too. There was nothing they could do to console the other since both felt the exact same things. But at least, they were not alone. They shared the pain, they shared the guilt, they shared the burden, and the feeling of powerlessness to be unable to protect those they cared about without having to fight... and kill.

Suddenly, they received a signal. It was a life pod. And so, some time later, in one of the Archangel's hangar...

"Looks like you really like to pick up things..." Natarle sighed, slightly aggravated. Seren nodded. She rather agreed with the ensign on that. Kira had always been like that. How many times had he picked up abandoned pets? How much trouble did he go through to find them new homes? Well, that was one of his good sides, but still!

The captain was there too, and all the Heliopolis students (who had donned a uniform), and a few guards who pointed at the pod when Murdoch warned them he was opening it. He typed a little on a panel and the compartment opened. To everyone's surprise and wonder, a small, round, and pink robot came out and hovered around, moving two sides like flappable ears. What more, it seemed to have two little black eyes, and it talked 'Hello, hello. Hello, Lacus!" The people turned back to the pod when they heard a soft and polite female voice.

"Thank you. Thank you for your hard work." A girl said, coming out of the pod. She had long wavy pink hair, a golden hair clip, kind blue eyes, soft, beautiful features; and was dressed in a white collared top, white flowing sleeves, and a long flowing orchid and violet skirt. She was smiling.

* * *

><p>What is left behind when people pass on? At times, the past is a heavy shackle. There are things that we must not lose. To protect them, any small thing before us... we could have thrown away. Because of that, not knowing all that we would lose, we continued to protect our small selves.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**Phase-08: The Enemy's songstress**

"Thank you. Thank you for your hard work." A girl said, coming out of the pod. She had long wavy pink hair, a golden hair clip, kind blue eyes, and was dressed in a white collared top, white flowing sleeves, and a long flowing orchid and violet skirt. She was smiling. She floated over them... until she noticed she couldn't control her course and was troubled. Kira helped her down. She thanked him and remarked the badge on his uniform. The badge of the OMNI enforcers that was on everyone's uniforms. "Oh my, this isn't a ZAFT ship?" She inquired, shocked, cupping one of her own cheeks. That said, she did not appear unduly scared for her own life or security. Everyone nodded. Natarle hit her own forehead, and even the captain was rather incredulous. No matter how they looked at her all they could see was a naïve, clueless, slow-minded airhead...

A military base in PLANT – Athrun was taking a shower and remembering his father and mother when he heard the intercom ringing. He turned the tap, quickly dried himself, put on a bathrobe and a towel on his head. He pressed a button and a woman in uniform appeared and informed him that the Vesalius would depart the next morning, 08:00 hours, 35 hours earlier than scheduled, and all personal were to assemble and board the ship one hour prior to the departure. She requested his acknowledgement. He repeated the message and added 'Athrun Zala, understood', and terminated the communication. He switched the computer on and walked away. On his desk were tools and parts for the making of a blue haro whose outer appearance was already finished. The news started playing.

"Onboard was Miss Lacus Clyne, representative of the memorial ceremony. Every effort is being made to confirm their safety." At this the boy returned and got closer to the screen, very worried. "I repeat. The ship heading toward Junius 7 for the preparation of the memorial service, the Silverwind, disappeared last night." Athrun recoiled, filled with shock and dread.

Lacus Clyne was in a room, being interrogated by the three commanding officers of the Archangel. She was sitting on a chair with a glass of water on the desk. She thanked them for having recovered her safety pod and introduced herself before introducing her friend Haro. The captain heaved a deep sigh. Mu hid part of his face in his right hand, apparently very tired. It seemed like that girl didn't have the slightest clue of how truly grave her situation was. Just how could that be? Sai, Tolle, Kuzzey, Chandra, and Jackie Tonomura were trying to eavesdrop – with Kira and Seren further away in the corridor – when Ensign Badgiruel opened the door. She scolded them and ordered them to return to work. They hurried to comply. Through the space, the pink-haired girl noticed the two other Coordinators, smiled, and waved. Kira was surprised, and as he had no idea how to act or react around her, he just left. Seren bowed slightly in acknowledgement and followed. Although she felt she was more than what she would let on, she hadn't sensed anything bad from that girl. Quite the contrary in fact. So for now things were fine as they were, right? At least SHE was fine with her. However, she also anticipated that it wouldn't be so well with a certain other person...

In the room, La Flaga remembered that the chairman of the PLANT's Supreme Council was called Siegel Clyne. Lacus was just (genuinely) glad that he knew of her father. The two lieutenants despaired again. A Coordinator, and even more so the daughter of such an important person... for her to smile like that... had it ever occurred to her that she could be horribly treated? Manipulated? Used? Killed? The captain asked how come she had been in the Debris Belt. She answered very politely. She had obviously had a most excellent upbringing for a young Lady. She had come to do a preparatory audit for the memorial ceremony on Junius 7 but her ship had encountered Earth Alliance ships. While informed that they were facing a civilian ship, it seemed the Earth Alliance disliked the reason they were here. It eventually turned into a quarrel inside her ship. Then the people around her put her into a pod and made her escape. The girl didn't know what had happened to her ship after that and only hoped that the Earth Alliance had calmed down. She was clearly worried about the people who had helped her... and about her whole ship. However, judging from their expressions and the circumstances, the adults were were pratically sure that ship had been destroyed. And they felt sorry for her and for them.

While Kira and Seren had returned into the Debris Belt with their machines, the Vesalius was almost ready to launch. The personnel had assembled and were to immediately proceed to gate 11 for boarding. Athrun exited an elevator and floated away with his suitcase. He soon noticed his father and Commander talking. He saluted as he passed them by when his parent called him back...

"Athrun, you've heard about Lacus-jou, haven't you?" Patrick asked him.

"Yes..." Then he turned to Le Creuset. "But Captain... Vesalius' change in schedule isn't for that, right?"

"My, my, you're a cold man. Of course, we're going to search for her." The Captain smiled.

"But we're still not sure that something bad has happened. It's a civilian vessel anyway."

"Although we didn't announce this, an Enforced Reconnaissance type GINN from Unrou's team that we've sent to investigate hasn't returned yet." Senator Zala informed his son, making him more worried.

"Junius 7 has been pulled by the Earth's gravity and is now in the Debris Belt. It's in a troublesome spot and the Gamow has lost track of the Legged ship at Artemis." Rau added. Athrun immediately caught on.

"All of PLANT knows that you and Lacus-jou are destined to be together. So it wouldn't make sense if Le Creuset Team, which you're part of, is taking a rest here." Patrick insisted. His son tried to protest. "She's an idol. Take care of her, Le Creuset, Athrun."

"Yes, sir." Both answered at the same time and saluted as the senator started leaving.

"Rescue her and come back like a hero. Is that what it's all about?" The boy confirmed once his father was out of earshot.

"Or bring her corpse back wailing all the way." His Captain suggested. There was also the possibility of the tragic hero... Athrun sharply turned back to him, appalled and fearful. Was Lacus, even Lacus, who was promised to him, a girl, an idol every body loved, considered as just a tool to escalate this war? "Regardless, Senator Zala thinks it would be inappropriate if you didn't go." Le Creuset left. The red uniform watched him, his green eyes narrowed.

The Archangel slowly flew away from the ruins of Junius 7. Naturals like the captain, Miriallia, or Tolle (who was holding his girlfriend reassuringly) and a few others watched the devastation on screen with mixed emotions. The two mobile suits pilots had holed themselves in their gundams and Lacus was not allowed out of her room. Haro hopped around and asked if she was alright. She motioned to him and he hopped on her lap.

"Let's pray together, Haro... so that the souls may rest in peace."

Kira was walking toward the cafeteria, deep in thought. He was recalling the GINN he had destroyed. It had been looking around civilian ships. Could it be that... He couldn't finish... if it had truly been searching for Lacus' ship... then... Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and another on his fist. He turned to see Seren.

"Kira, I know what you're thinking but please calm down." And in her hazel eyes, he could see her most earnest plea. It was then they heard Flay's violent refusal and Milly crying her name in an offended tone. Geez, she was always making a scene and causing problems... what was it this time?! They entered to see the girls arguing. The red-haired kept refusing stubbornly and Milly asked her why. The enhanced humans asked Kuzzey what it was about. He sighed and told them it concerned the food for that girl. Milly wanted Flay to bring it to her and Flay...

"I don't want to! It's scary to go to a place that has a Coordinator!"

"Flay!" The short haired girl whispered warningly after having glanced at the two Coordinators in the room. She had noticed Kira's reaction. Although he had tried to hide how the comment had hurt him, he had involuntarily frowned. Seren had remained equanimous though. That was Flay after all. Flay who noticed them and immediately put up her half-hearted cute sorry act and corrected herself. "Ah, o-of course that doesn't include Kira and Seren." She turned to Milly again and her face hardened. "I understand that much. But that girl is from ZAFT, right? A Coordinator isn't just smart, they also have excellent reflexes. What would happen if something goes wrong, right?" She turned to Kira in hope to get his sympathy. The boy looked around frantically, not knowing what to do or say. Seren heaved a deep sigh.

"It is incredibly immature to judge someone on what they are and not who they are. And you won't know if you won't try. Milly wanted you to go because she hoped to change your prejudiced opinion on Coordinators, and incidentally, allow you to make yourself useful for once instead of whining to no end as usual and throwing tantrums like you're currently doing. Also Coordinators are not born as killing machines. Being able to fight requires training for every single person in the universe. And Lacus is an idol, meaning she's as much of a soldier as you are. Her job is to sing and be nice and pretty." Seren was feeling like an adult trying to reason with a difficult child.

"I don't think that girl will suddenly attack you either." Kuzzey agreed.

"You don't know that. You can't tell from their looks what a Coordinator can really do." Flay insisted stubbornly, glaring at them.

"It's not about looks but personality and countenance. It just isn't her character at all to do something like that. Has my intuition ever been wrong? Besides she's alone on an enemy ship, I doubt she's stupid enough to pull such a stunt. Personality-wise you'd be the one most likely to threaten and attack her." Seren continued. The girl was affected (but not hurt) by the blow for a second, she wanted to deny it, but it felt like the guess had been spot-on. She glared more fiercely.

"Th-that doesn't change the fact that there's no guarantee, does it? What would you do if she's really strong?"

"My... who's really strong?" A soft and polite voice questioned them before anyone had the time to answer. They turned and were shocked to see Lacus standing there, smiling sweetly.

"Hello, are you well? You too!" Haro chirped at her feet.

"And I thought we just solved our supply problems... this time it's the pink-haired princess. There's no end to our worries, huh, Captain-dono?" La Flaga passed by Murrue and leant against a bar, doing a military salute. The captain closed her brown eyes and opened them again. She indeed appeared very troubled. At this rate, it looked like they would have no other choice but to bring her to the Moon HQ with them. But she was worried about what would happen to her if they did. She was a civilian... "They'll give her a big welcome of course. After all, she's Clyne's daughter. There are many ways they can use her." Tolle, Neumann, and Badgiruel, who had just arrived, and everyone else were listening attentively. But if possible, Ramius didn't want to let that happen to her. She was a civilian... and such a young girl...

"If you say that, then what about these guys?" The ensign questioned her, evidently referring to the Heliopolis students who had taken over various posts on the bridge and even as war machines' pilots. "Those who are helping us operate this ship. They were brought on board this ship and joined battles. They're civilian children as well." She reminded her.

"Ensign Badgiruel, that's..."

"Although inevitable, you made Kira Yamato, Seren Ashford and the others participate in the war. And now you don't want that girl only to be involved. Is that what you are saying?" Natarle insisted, clearly viewing such sentiments as absurd. "That girl is Clyne's daughter. That means she isn't just any ordinary civilian." The two women stared at each other.

In the cafeteria, Lacus Clyne apologized for having surprised everyone. It was just that she had gotten thirsty, and very hungry as well. She would be very happy if she could have something to eat. The teens who had remained frozen in shock snapped back to reality. Kuzzey couldn't believe they had left her door unlocked.

"No way, I don't understand! Why is a ZAFT girl walking around without permission?!" Flay, her hand on her cheek, appalled, outraged, demanded.

"Maybe it's because you took so much time squabbling like a child like you have nothing better to do instead of doing as asked?!" Seren imitated her exaggerated pose and tone. "Wait! You really do have nothing better to do!" She dramatically put both hands on her cheeks. But when Flay fiercely glared at the mocking girl, she had already turned around and was acting innocent. Well, she usually never acted like this with anyone. It was just with Flay. But that was obviously not the point here!

"Oh, I didn't get out without permission. I properly asked while I was in the room 'Is it okay for me to come out?' And I did that three times. Besides, I don't belong to ZAFT. ZAFT is the name of the army. It's officially known as the Zodiac Alliance of Freedom-"

"You're all the same! All Coordinators!"

"We are not the same." Lacus said kindly and patiently. "Though I am a Coordinator, I'm not military personnel." She looked at the Natural girl's clothing, a frilly baby pink dress... definitely not a soldier-like uniform. "You are not military personnel either, right? If so then we are the same. Sorry for the late greeting. My name is-" She smiled gently. But just as she approached and extended her hand for the greeting, Flay recoiled in pure revulsion, her hands behind her back.

"Hey! I don't want it, stop it! Don't mess with me! Why do I have to shake the hand of someone like you?! Don't act like we're friends even though you're a Coordinator!" She violently yelled, looking at the pink-haired girl like she could not execrate her more. Everyone gasped. Seren felt something crack horribly inside her. The pain was almost physical... it was nauseating, like she was going to throw up blood. Even though she had been aware of Flay's wariness and hostility towards Coordinators, to think it was to THAT extent... And she knew it was the same for Kira. She closed her eyes and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you Flay, for being so honest with us. It's the first time I hear you speak so truly of your feelings. If you don't see us Coordinators as your friends, then us Coordinators will take our leave. We wouldn't want you to be tainted by abominations of nature like us that shouldn't even exist." Seren had spoken very calmly, but by the end, her tone had taken a bitingly icy edge. And when she opened her usually warm hazel eyes to glance at her, their light had become extremely glacial... enough to freeze even her friends' blood. She took the 'prisoner's' tray as well as her own and left. Kira and Lacus following her after one last look at the Naturals.

When they were gone, Kuzzey asked Flay – who was still angry - whether she was part of Blue Cosmos. Milly sighed. Flay vehemently denied it but readily admitted being a sympathizer of their ideals. Humans genetically engineered even though they weren't sick or anything... The very concept went against Nature. Their existence was wrong. And she insisted. In fact, they were all thinking the same, right? She turned to Kuzzey and Milly for approval. They said nothing and kept their heads down. They couldn't deny what she had said, and they couldn't agree either.

The Coordinators arrived at Lacus' room. Soon after leaving the cafeteria, Seren had slowed her pace, and in the same time, her anger had started mixing with sadness. She had had an inkling... but really... to think they were despised and hated this much... No, she had not prepared her heart as much as she had thought. But after all, the one who had suffered the most was Kira... Lacus, although very sad too, felt rather fine. She was probably the strongest out of them. It was with heavy hearts that they entered the room. Seren put down the tray.

"I have to stay here again, don't I?" The blue-eyed girl inquired politely, though a little down.

"Yes, it seems so." Kira answered regretfully.

"This is boring. I'm alone all the time even though I want to talk with everyone." Clyne twirled a little and sat down.

"Because this is an Earth Alliance ship." The boy justified. The other girl was staring at the food without seeing it. She still had not piped a word. "There are people who don't like Coordinators. And besides, we are enemies."

"What a pity." Lacus seemed to truly deplore it. "But you two are very kind. Thank you." She smiled wholeheartedly. Both pilots were taken aback. She was just so free from deceit and hypocrisy... the boy blushed and looked down. It was like a pure, warm and soft radiance emanated from that girl.

"B-because we're Coordinators too." He stuttered.

"And besides, I'm not kind. You saw, didn't you?" Seren could not help but contradict her, although it only sounded like a last defense.

"No, you are kind. You are kind because you are truly sad about that girl." Lacus affirmed strongly but gently. The other female averted her eyes, no longer able to controvert her.

Miriallia exited the cafeteria just as Tolle was joining her. She took her boyfriend away and told him about what had happened.

On the bridge, a crewmember called the captain over. There was no mistake. He had detected a secret code pulse from the Earth Alliance's 8th Fleet! Natarle who had just returned hurried to them and asked if he could decipher it. He managed after a time.

"This is... battleship... from the 8th Fleet... Montgomery... Arch... angel... can you... hear me?"

"It's a fleet flying under Rear Admiral Halberton!" Lieutenant Ramius exclaimed. She had not looked so happy and relieved in a very long time, and the same was for everyone on the bridge. They all joined the captain. They might still be a long distance away, but the fleet had been searching for them! And maybe they could rendezvous somewhere and finally relax a bit!

Kira exited Lacus' room. However, the door had barely closed that it opened again and Seren took him away. Her hazel eyes bore straight into his purple ones.

"Kira, no matter what anyone says you must never be ashamed to be a Coordinator. Because that would be denying who you are, that would be denying me, that guy, and the hopes our parents entrusted to us by making us this way. And even if it's you, I would never forgive that." She stared at him for a time to let her words and conviction sink in before going back in the room. After a few seconds he walked away but soon Sai caught up with him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I heard from Milly." He was obviously referring to the incident with Flay. "Don't worry too much about it. I'll go talk to Flay afterwards. And Seren?"

"Ah, she's with-" Suddenly they heard a girl sing inside the room... slowly... beautifully... like a lullaby... or a gentle stream flowing in a quiet moonlit night... A clear voice singing a peaceful song that echoed in their hearts. And after a few sentences, Seren joined her. Although not quite as bright and unclouded, a harmony was soon reached, like Lacus' voice was pulling her up, reminding her of her true self. And the listeners could feel the same hopes, the same dreams overflowing in this melody sang in unity. Kira smiled faintly, remembering how Seren and Lacus had naturally accepted each other... and the rest of their conversation...

"And you two are kind not because you are Coordinators, but because you are yourselves, right?" Lacus had added in the same tone she had corrected Seren with, taking the two Earth Alliance pilots aback again. "Could I please have your names?" Kira had stuttered his full name, blushing, and scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Noticing her childhood friend's reaction, the brown haired girl had smiled softly before also revealing her full name. "I see. Thank you, Kira-sama, Seren-sama."

"Is that girl singing?" Sai asked. Kira nodded, still smiling. "What a beautiful voice! And Seren isn't losing by that much either. But I guess that's also due to genetic engineering." Sai walked away. Kira had stopped smiling. The part about the 'genetic engineering' had shaken him and snapped him out of his daydream. Was it that Sai too just saw them as modified creatures and not as they themselves? "Come on, let's have a bite to eat as well." The Natural walked away. The enhanced human ran up to his friend after one last look at the closed door where the two girls were still singing and they returned to the dining area.

Flay and Kuzzey were still alone in the cafeteria. The girl was sullenly twisting a lock of hair around her finger and the boy was slumped on the table, his chin resting on his palms. Suddenly, he stood up.

"Although we somewhat forgot about it... Kira and Seren are also Coordinators..." He thought out loud. At this, the female's expression softened and became slightly sadder. "They can pilot and fight with those mobile suits without a problem. But we shouldn't forget that they're also protecting us."

On the Vesalius, Le Creuset joined Ades on the bridge. They had detected an Earth Alliance fleet and were wondering what they were doing here. The Commander floated over to the map.

"If the Legged Ship is heading toward the Moon HQ from Artemis, what would they do?" He asked as if he already knew everything.

"So it must be for resupply, or maybe they are to rendezvous with other ships."

"Apparently, they haven't detected us yet. Don't lose them. Follow with caution."

"Us? But..."

"The search for Lacus Clyne is of course continuing. But we can't let this chance slip by just because of one young lady. I don't want to become the laughing stock for future historians." The usual strange smile curved Rau's lips.

The Archangel accelerated. Aboard, the tense apprehension had been replaced by eager euphoria, especially Flay who learned from her fiancé that her father was coming in an advance party. He had just sent them their civilian roster so they would know she was here. And looking as if she were about to cry from relief, she hung her head and thanked goodness. That was the happiest and sincerest face she had made ever since she had boarded this ship.

Kira floated over to his gundam and Seren soon did the same. They apologized for being late. The head mechanic had been changing the values for the rising geometry on their machines so they should take a look at it, though they might not have a use for them anymore... The two Coordinators stared pensively at their units.

In her room, Lacus was playing with Pink-chan, making it roll on her desk with her index. She was smiling.

"Now for the question: where are we heading?" She wondered. Pink-chan rolled around on his own, making the girl giggle.

* * *

><p>Inside this room, a kind and tender voice sang a chord of hope and happiness for us. Certainly, it reached the heart of dreamers. Even though we only pass each other now, surely we understand one another. But the truth was our hands were still far from our dreams.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Okay, now that I have about caught up, the updates for this story will be much, much slower. Until then, I express my thanks to those who chose to follow my story and put it as favorite. <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Phase-09: Shattered Hope**

Seren and Milly were walking in the hallways, humming, when they stopped before the cafeteria where a number of civilians had gathered. They were all excitedly talking about contacting their families once they reached the Moon HQ, though it was not as good as going directly to Orb. Elation and hope had finally replaced the gloom and apprehension that had plagued the whole ship ever since they had left Heliopolis almost three weeks ago. The girls looked at each other and smiled. They knew they shouldn't let their guards down just yet but still...

They entered the communal shower room. A red-haired girl in pink underwear was already there. She turned and they recoiled in shock. Her face was all white like a ghost!

"What is it?" She sighed at their reaction.

"What do you mean 'what'? What are YOU doing, Flay?!" Milly retorted, voicing her dark haired friend's thoughts. They were not angry, just appalled at how she could have brought THAT in such a life and death situation.

"A face mask. Can't you see?" Flay removed the film and patted her face with a smile, satisfied with the results.

"Of course I can see. What I'm saying is... oh nevermind." Miriallia scratched the back of her head, giving up. "I'm surprised you had something like that with you." She and Seren undressed.

"Well, papa's coming with the advance force. I must doll myself up a bit. It'd be bad for papa if the daughter of a vice minister of the Atlantic Federation was all disheveled, right? I haven't seen him in such a long time after all. It's the least I can do, isn't it?" Flay spoke like a ten-year-old baby princess. Seren thought about how trifling, superficial and narcissistic her priorities could be but decided to try and phrase things differently.

"Really? I think working your hardest for the good of the people around you even at the expense of your appearance would have reflected quite well on him."

"You really don't know anything about people of a high social standing, do you? Appearances are crucial." The red head informed her, clearly condescending. No word or look had been exchanged but for their common friends both had decided to make efforts to keep their open hostility towards each other to a minimum.

"Oh, well, whatever you say." Seren dismissed. She didn't care about being implicitly called a 'lower-class person' since she didn't care about social standing. But she just couldn't understand how being a doll could be more important than helping people. That woman was beyond logic. She gave up too. She put her uniform and light green underwear in an open box, like Milly had done with her own uniform and blue underwear, and went in a cubicle. Hot water poured down on them. As they applied shampoo, Flay complained about not being able to do anything about her hair, though it couldn't be helped since they were in an emergency situation after all. The two other girls sighed. Such frivolousness, really...

On the bridge, the captain of the Archangel was talking with the captain of the Montgomery. The arrival of the fleet to the rendezvous point was going according to schedule. The Archangel would then come under the command of this ship and they would proceed to the main fleet together. Just a little bit more. He was praying for their safe arrival. Although they did not show it, the members were all touched. That man was speaking with his heart. Then another man dressed in a civilian suit addressed them.

"I am the vice minister of the Atlantic Federation, George Allster. First, I'd like to thank you for rescuing the civilians. Ah, and, hum... one more thing! I was surprised and happy to see my daughter's name, Flay, on the list of rescued civilians. I'd be more than grateful if I could see her if possible..." He requested. He looked and seemed to be a good person. But even if he was the vice minister, he was a civilian, and could not simply expect to have his way among military personnel just because he was asking for it. The situation was still critical. Forceful, impatient, ignorant and/or uncaring of the realities of the field, expecting the world to go according to their wishes and content living in their bubble... sounded like some of that family's main traits. The crew of the Archangel lightly gaped at his obliviousness while the captain of the Montgomery gently reminded him of the situation.

"Vice-minister-dono, you'll be able to see her immediately after we rendezvous..."

Sai smiled, amused. Flay's father was like that, after all.

In the Strike's cockpit, Kira was busy typing on the keyboard. His childhood friend joined him inside. She raised her hand and he instinctively mirrored her movements. They did a high five, their fingers intertwining, and they let go a moment later as she passed behind him.

"You're at it, you're at it." She commented with a smile.

"And what are _you_ doing here?"

"I just thought you'd be feeling... how to say it... muddled? Lonesome? Perplexed? Forlorn?... and bury yourself in work? ...Maybe... Something like this? Anyway I felt I better be here." She leant against him with a smile and hugged him from behind.

"That's usually what **you** do, right? And I'm not really..." He replied meekly, a little vexed that she could so easily see right through him.

""I don't want to fight. I don't want to hurt people. I don't want to kill. If I leave, I won't have to put up with it anymore. But then what will happen to these people? And Athrun?..." is it? You're too kind to keep fighting like this and you're too kind to cleanly wash your hands of this matter too." Seren affirmed softly. For Kira it was like she had literally taken the words he wanted to bury as deep as possible out of his heart to show them to him. But if it was her, it was fine... His typing speed, which was already slow, dropped again. He stayed silent for a long time, pensive, wistful... before breaking the silence.

"...What about you?" However, before she could answer they saw chief mechanic Murdoch lingering at the entrance of the cockpit. He asked what they were doing.

"I kindly came to cheer him up before going to the Blast." The girl raised her hand.

"Seren!... Geez, I'm just making a few adjustments to match the offset values. Ah, but I guess I don't need to do that anymore." Kira blushed and typed faster.

"Go ahead and do it, both of you." The adult laughed and came to pat their heads. "It's still your job until we safely meet up with the others." Then he withdrew again. "If you want you could even stay behind and enlist officially." Murdoch half joked and left, not hearing Kira's comment or the faintly bitter note in his tone.

"Don't even joke about that." He typed faster again, frowning. Seren gazed at him for a time before letting go and leaning against the cockpit wall to his left.

"I don't want to fight. I don't want to hurt people. And I certainly don't want to kill either. But... we might not be able to leave even if we want to..." The female mused somberly.

"What?! What do you mean?!" The boy sharply turned to her.

"Well, I understand why the Earth Alliance would be reluctant to part with us but I think they'd still let go. The thing is..."

"The thing is?"

"Kira, what would you do if we were attacked right as we meet up with the others and we get ready to leave?"

"That's... I..."

"I didn't spend my time only maintaining the Blast. I studied all the six Gundams... the combat and technological information on ZAFT and Earth Alliance battleships, as well as the two ships that have been chasing us since we left Heliopolis."

"Why would you do that?!"

"To increase our chances of survival by even a single point! Kira, the Archangel is the only ship in the Earth Alliance capable of sustaining attacks from a gundam. The 8th fleet is comprised of Nelson-class ships, drake-class escort ships and one Agamemnon-class ship. And none of these ships or the mobile armor pilots could last more than a few minutes before any of the four stolen mobile suits or even the GINNs. I wouldn't put it past our pursuers to get ahead of us like they did at Artemis. In that case, the fleet would be completely annihilated. Would you fight to protect them? Would you fight to protect us? Or would you still board a shuttle? It is a question we will both have to answer."

Aboard the Vesalius, Ades was showing Le Creuset, Athrun, as well as two other pilots the estimated course of the Earth Forces. The Commander informed them that the Laconi and Porto Teams were behind schedule for rendezvous. If those Earth Forces vessels were delivering supplies to the legged ship, they couldn't let this opportunity pass.

"We're going to stage an attack? But our orders were-" Athrun questioned.

"We're soldiers, Athrun. The search for miss Lacus doesn't change that."

The radar of the Archangel detected three vessels: the escort ships Montgomery, Bernard, and Law. The bridge cheered. Murrue sighed, relieved. But suddenly, they could not detect anything. A jammer was interfering with the whole area!

"Seems like the Commander's instincts were right after all." A ZAFT mobile suit pilot said after he had been launched from the Vesalius.

"Show us what that thing can do, Athrun." Another added. Athrun agreed, although not very enthusiastically. As he was leading the Aegis onto the catapult, he recalled his Commander's words _"If those vessels are delivering supplies to the Legged Ship, we can't let them go."_... his father's words _"We fight to protect ourselves. It we cannot protect ourselves without fighting, then we have no choice but to fight!"_ ...Kira's words _""I hate war."... you said that too, didn't you?! Then why did you attack Heliopolis?!"_ ... and Seren's words _"I still believe that Coordinators and Naturals can live in peace! That's why I don't want to fight you guys... and you Athrun least of all!"_... _"If you attack, of course we'll have to defend ourselves!"_ His green eyes opened, full of determination.

"Athrun Zala, taking off!"

The advance party of the 8th fleet began battle preparations. The mobile armors were launched and all missiles and anti-beam charges loaded into the tubes. They detected four mobile suits. The vice-minister was outraged that they hadn't noticed the enemy until now but there was no time to waste arguing with him.

"Lower bow, pitch angle 30 degrees! Turn to port, yaw angle 20 degrees!" The captain instructed. The ship shook after having taken a hit. The civilian fell on him. He pushed him back with his arm. "Send a message to the Archangel to turn around and withdraw!" The civilian tried to protest, in vain. "What else can we do in this situation?!"

"If we can't rendezvous, doesn't it make this trip futile?" Allster insisted.

"It would be even more futile if that ship gets destroyed!"

There were more explosions. The Archangel detected battle-like heat patterns up front, soon followed by a message from the Montgomery: 'Rendezvous is cancelled, Archangel is to withdraw immediately.' Murrue asked about the enemy's fighting strength. The CIC confirmed the presence of a Nazca-class, six GINNs... as well as the X303 Aegis. The crew on the bridge immediately guessed that the Nazca-class they had located was the same that had been chasing them ever since the 'incident' of Heliopolis.

"Kanchou!" Badgiruel-shoui yelled. Evidently she meant for her to give the order to withdraw right now as per instructed by the message.

"But on that ship is..." Tolle protested. The captain was in deep thought.

"There's no guarantee that we'd get away even if we did turn around now. All hands, level 1 battle alert! Archangel will move ahead to support the advance party!" The warning spread through the whole ship.

Kira ran out of his room. Just as he passed by Lacus', the door opened. He thought the 'prisoner' had decided to go out on her own again and he stopped and returned, ready to give her a scolding... but it was Seren who came out yelling his name. He was going to speak up to her but stopped himself. She was strange. Probably there were only three people he knew in the whole world who'd be able to tell, but there was something in her countenance that showed she had been greatly upset and disturbed and she was doing her utmost to hide it. Something other than the battle they were about to enter, or added to it. Something that had happened just now, between the moment she had left him to go see Lacus Clyne a little over half an hour ago and now. Lacus appeared behind her and asked what was going on. The ship had become so rowdy all of a sudden. She looked the same as usual, so it couldn't be that Seren had done or said anything to her.

"We've entered battle alert. Now please go inside." He forced the pink-haired girl back inside and pulled his childhood friend to him while grumbling about the lock on this door. Haro jumped at their feet.

"Haro haro haro haro I won't accept it! I won't accept it!"

"Battle alert... my, does that mean you will be fighting?"

"That's right... or it has been like that for some time already."

"Will you be fighting too, Kira-sama, Seren-sama?"

"In any case, please don't leave this room. This time, for sure, okay?" And the two pilots ran away. Lacus watched them for a time and picked her pink robot. A certain robotic squirrel came out of her hair and stayed on her shoulder. She looked at them sadly.

"Let's sing." She returned to her room and started singing.

This time, the two Coordinators were stopped by Flay. She wanted to know about the advance party but they didn't know anything. They attempted to leave but she stopped them again, her hands on their shoulders.

"It'll be okay, right? Papa's ship won't be destroyed, will it? Will it?!" She desperately inquired.

"It'll be okay, Flay. Since we're going to help too." Kira wanted himself reassuring.

"We'll do our best, that's all I'll say." But Seren was unable to irresponsibly make a promise she wasn't certain to keep. She didn't want to keep someone's hopes up only to have them shattered afterwards. The truth might hurt but lies could destroy. It was war. Flay let them go. The two ran to the changing room to put on their pilot uniforms.

The Aegis and the GINNs quickly annihilated the mobile armors of the Earth Alliance. Athrun shot the thrusters of the Bernard and soon the whole ship exploded. The sinking of the escort ship was reported to the Captain of the Montgomery and vice-minister Allster. The Aegis was now moving on towards the Law! They couldn't be more frustrated... being destroyed by stolen allied units... what kind of sick joke was this...?!

Lieutenant La Flaga led his Moebius zero onto the linear catapult and launched. The two teens arrived to their gundams dressed in their pilot suits and were berated for being late. They apologized and lost no time doing the preparations for the sortie. Milly informed them the enemy consisted of a Nazca-class, six GINNs and the Aegis. And Sai told them that Flay's father was in the advance force so he was counting on them. The Aile pack was fixed onto the Strike and the Nova Blast Off pack onto the Blast. They launched.

Flay still hadn't moved from her spot where the Coordinators had left her. Her hands as if joined in a prayer, she waited anxiously. The Archangel shot the Valiant linear cannons number 1 and 2, saving the Montgomery. The captain of the Agamemnon-class hit his arm stand with his fist. How stupid of them to come back and risk destruction...

Le Creuset smiled. The star had appeared on the stage. He gave the orders not to waste time on the small fry. He was going to make a sortie too. This number of GINNs was most likely not enough to hold the Blast and that man.

The Aegis in mobile armor mode pierced through the Law with its Scylla energy cannon. The ship exploded a second later. Athrun detected the Strike and the Blast.

Kira and Athrun charged and shot at each other, the beams passing them by harmlessly. The Lieutenant sunk a GINN when another suddenly appeared at his flank. He manipulated his gunbarrels and struck it from behind but a little too late. His Moebius had been badly hit. A 57mm beam rifle in her left hand and her Schwert Gewehr Lanze in her right hand, she fired at a GINN and pursued it until she had shot three of its limbs while dodging another.

Flay arrived at the bridge. She opened the door just slightly enough to see the inside a bit and hear Badgiruel-shoui give the order to shoot the Gottfried 1. The captain was asking about La Flaga.

"Zero returning! The unit is damaged!" Milly reported.

"Missiles from the Vesalius! Heading towards the Law!"

Flay's anxiousness turned into fear as she entered the bridge. Kuzzey and Sai said her name. Her fiancée stood up and went to her.

"Papa? What about papa's ship?!"

"We are in the midst of battle right now. Civilians should get out of the bridge!" Ramius commanded firmly but the girl would not listen. Her fear had degenerated into hysteria and she kept asking about her father's ship. Sai attempted to calm her down but she struggled in his embrace and yelled at him to let her go. They looked up at the screen to see the Blast blocking a point blank range shot from a GINN with her shield and slicing from the underarm to the head. The gundam disengaged and shot the other arm and went on to her next target: the missiles. She managed to detonate a few but the rest hit the Law that exploded. Two GINNs left, both were heading toward the Montgomery. All mobiles armors but one had been destroyed. Flay froze, her lips quivering. Her fiancée took advantage of it to take her away. She must not stay here. On the other side of the door, the girl remembered Kira – that child – and Seren. What were they doing?!

"Didn't you see? They're giving their best. But the other side has the Aegis." He told her gently but firmly.

"But he said it was going to be alright! He said 'It'll be alright since we're going to help too!'"

"It's going to be alright, ok?" He slowly led her back to her room, a comforting arm around her shoulders while his other hand was touching her right arm. But just as he said that, the ship shook. She tried to return to the bridge but the boy stopped her even as she struggled. The more she would fight the tighter he would hug her. It was then they heard Lacus' singing voice. Flay opened her door and looked at the surprised girl as if trying to decide on something. As a GINN was going to shoot down the Montgomery, the Blast vaporized its arm from above, turned the schwert gewehr lanze back into a sword, slashing the ZAFT mobile suit vertically. However, she could not prevent the last GINN from shooting the Montgomery's main cannons. Inside, the captain told the vice-minister to proceed to the lifepod. Seren fired at that last GINN, successfully drawing it away from the ship when she suddenly found herself under fire. And the pilot was very skilled. Wait! That was the CGUE that had attacked them at Heliopolis! The arrival of the enemy commander, huh...?!

Natarle ordered the preparation of the Lohengrin and asked the status of the Strike. La Flaga contacted the captain. They should retreat now or they'd be taken down too! However, she was still hesitating. Kira and Seren were still being confronted by the Aegis and the CGUE. And they were struggling. Flay returned to the bridge dragging Lacus by the arm, declaring that she'd kill this girl if they shot her papa's ship. She wanted the bridge to relay that to ZAFT.

"Tell them I'd kill this girl! TELL THEM!" She screamed resolutely, her tears floating from her eyes like beads of water. And the female Coordinator was watching her, taking the full measure of her terror and desperation. But it was too late. The Vesalius fired and pierced through the Montgomery. The ship exploded and shattered into thousands pieces. Flay screamed. Horror carved onto her face, she fell back into her fiancé's arms, her wide blue eyes still fixed on the screen. The smoke was slowly dissipating. Suddenly she started struggling again, although weakly. Lacus was sadly looking at her. As the remaining GINN headed toward the Archangel, Natarle sighed, left her post and took Kuzzey's earpiece.

"Ensign Badgiruel!" The captain yelled warningly.

"To the ZAFT forces! This is the Earth Alliance vessel, Archangel! Right now we have onboard Lacus Clyne, daughter of the PLANT's Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne!" The ensign declared. Surprised, everyone suddenly stopped fighting. And on the video footage, they could all confirm Lacus' presence on the bridge. "We found her lifepod by accident and are treating her in accordance with the basic human rights and civility. However, should you decide to attack this ship, we shall consider that as forfeiting your responsibilities towards Miss Lacus Clyne. We will then take care of this situation as we see fit."

"That's despicable!" Athrun cried, outraged. Seren gritted her teeth, equally frustrated. It was not like she didn't understand Natarle's decision but that didn't make it any easier to accept. It might be a perfectly normal war strategy but humanely speaking that was just wrong...! To the point that the possibility of Lacus actually being taken hostage had never even occurred to Kira who just stayed there, shocked. Inside the hangar, Mu left his damaged zero. He wasn't exactly satisfied either but he was a seasoned soldier.

"Such poor taste..." Le Creuset smiled cynically. "They looked like they were rushing to cover the fleet but once they find themselves in danger they resort to this..." He was then contacted by the captain Ades. "Yeah, I know. All forces, cease to attack!" And the CGUE returned to the Vesalius.

Badgiruel put the earpiece down. Ramius was standing there, glowering at her. But she stood up to the gaze.

"We can't let them take down the Strike, the Blast or the Archangel here!" The ensign justified herself.

"I know, Natarle." The female lieutenant averted her eyes. She too had a profound dislike for such tactics. Badgiruel ordered someone to take Lacus back to her room. Flay had collapsed due to the shock and had been brought to her room by Sai who had stayed at her side, gazing at her worriedly and caringly. Neumann had volunteered to escort Lacus back. The pink-haired girl was looking down with a very sorrowful expression.

Those who keep promises, those who break promises, they can never escape from these chains. However, promises aren't things that belong to only one person. The ones who are left behind and the lives that won't return... place such a pressure on us that we can't even breathe.


	10. Chapter 10

**Phase-10: Separate ways**

"That's right! All forces cease to attack! Haven't you heard the broadcast?" Ades insisted.

"Using a rescued civilian as a hostage... fighting alongside those cowards, is that your justice, Kira, Seren?!" Athrun raged. The two took the blow without complaints or excuses as they felt no less than he did. And both were greatly affected. They felt as if they had been first stabbed in the back and in the front immediately after. No, beyond that, they were also at fault... "I will save her... definitely!" And the Aegis also returned to the Vesalius.

In the Archangel, the ensign loosened her collar a bit. As the one leading the 'negotiations' she had been very tense. One mistake and everything could have been over. But it had ended well...

"Although we were able to avoid immediate danger, it doesn't change our situation one bit..." The captain trailed off.

"We can regroup during that time." Badgiruel justified herself. "I believe that to be the most important thing right now."

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Ramius turned to her. Despite her words, she did not sound or look very happy.

Lieutenant La Flaga told the mechanics to hurry with the repairs and supplies. After all it was not as if the fighting was completely over. The Strike and the Blast parked. The Blast notably was twice more damaged than it usually was.

"I know, but man, is this ship cursed or something?" Murdoch complained.

"That's Le Creuset, that curse, right?" Mu replied knowingly, sipping his drink. That man had been plaguing this ship like some god of misfortune ever since Heliopolis. They were joined by Kira and Seren. The boy started yelling. Just what was that about?! "There's nothing to explain. You heard for yourself. That's how it is." La Flaga replied curtly and floated away.

"Taking a girl as a hostage and threatening them... do the Earth Forces typically run from enemies like this?!" Kira burst out, disgusted, as he floated after him. The lieutenant glared at him, making him recoil for a second.

"The reason we had to resort to such shameful actions is because we're weak, right? Neither of us has the right to criticize the captain or the vice-captain." Mu twisted the knife. The boy averted his eyes and gritted his teeth. There was nothing he could say.

"Lieutenant La Flaga, was there really no other way?" Seren insisted. She wanted to sound calm but the edge in her voice, as slight as it was, was more than enough to betray her real feelings.

"You should know that better than anyone." The officer replied. The girl hit the wall with the side of her fist. The recoil made her float in the opposite direction. There was nothing she could say either. She agreed it was despicable but also understood there was no other choice... and blamed herself for her powerlessness.

The men in the Vesalius were also quite troubled. Even if they followed the Archangel, they couldn't do anything with Miss Lacus onboard. And the Legged ship's next move was certainly to join with the moon fleet. Did they really have no choice but to let them take Lacus to the fleet? Le Creuset asked for the location of the Gamow. How long until they could rendezvous? Seven hours... by this time, the Legged Ship would have joined the fleet... this was complicated...

Flay woke up. She slowly opened her cloudy eyes before she remembered the ship exploding. She screamed and bolted in a sitting position, holding her head, her eyes wide in horror. Sai rushed to her. She turned to him and asked about her papa. He froze. She insisted. He averted his eyes. She clutched his shirt and looked up with tear-filled eyes.

"Where's papa's ship? What happened to it?!" She repeated desperately. He said her name again and again to make her listen but she wouldn't. He slightly stepped back. But she was still holding onto his chest, and her legs unable to support her, they simply fell on the floor. It was then Milly opened the door, drinks in her arms. She dropped them.

The two Coordinators were walking in the hallway, dressed in their uniform again, when they heard Flay crying and screaming after her father. They looked at each other and ran to her room. The door was blocked by a gourd. They opened it fully. Milly was staring sadly, compassionately. Flay was down on her knees, crying her heart out in her fiancé's chest. Sai was sitting down and embracing her comfortingly.

"Lie... that's a lie... THAT'S A LIE!" She shrieked in anguish. Miriallia whispered Kira's and Seren's name when she noticed them.

"Flay..." The boy muttered, abashed.

"Liars!" Flay turned to them hatefully. Kira recoiled obviously shocked and distraught. "You said it was gonna be alright! You said "It'll be okay since we're going too."!" And before her tears of grief and hatred and the truth of her words, the operator of the Strike averted himself again. Unable to see or care about the agony on the two pilots' faces, she continued. "Why didn't you protect papa's ship?! Why didn't you kill them all?!"

"Flay!" Miriallia reprimanded her. "Kira and Seren too fought desperately..."

"Because you two are Coordinators too... you weren't fighting seriously, were you?!" She spat venomously. Loathing, spite, grief were distorting her pretty features more terribly than any scar ever could. And their sheer intensity pierced the Coordinators' hearts like a bullet. Their eyes widened. They had literally felt something break within them. If back then when she had first lashed against Lacus, their hearts had just cracked, now they had completely broken apart. Seren was feeling her legs trembling, wobbling, threatening to give way, she tried to breathe but something was constricting her throat. Suddenly, she walked forth, grabbed the wailing girl by the front of her clothes, raised her and pinned her against the wall. Her feet did not even touch the ground.

Flay struggled fruitlessly and fearfully. While Seren normally would have never been able to display such strength, this had been more than she could endure while keeping quiet. While she normally would have never reacted so violently, the limit of her fortitude had been overcome. The attack on Heliopolis, having to fight, having to kill, having Athrun on the other side, having all that pressure forced onto them, having to always act calm and strong, risking her life constantly like it was natural, seeing people die, seeing and causing such suffering on both sides, her inability to protect everyone, Kira's anguish, what Lacus had told her before she went to fight, and then clinging to her humanity, unable to become a full soldier, a half-heartedness that caused Lacus and Flay to go through such experiences... After so many stabs, from others and from herself, this one... had been one too many. The pilot of the Blast slapped her hard once, back, and forth again with her left hand. Her friends rushed to rebuke her and try to make her let go but were unable to make her budge. And then they stopped and stepped back, stunned, when they saw her hazel eyes shining and rippling like liquid gold.

"Has our little princess woken up yet?"

"What are-?!"

"That's right, we are Coordinators. And my mother was killed by the Blue Cosmos. We were just walking in the street when people shot us, and my mother protected me with her body. She took 27 shots, 27! Why? Just because her parents had decided to give her more chances of survival than a human born naturally. That isn't a matter of superior abilities, right? That's just a proof of love. She loved my father who's a Natural, she loved me and I loved her just like you loved your father. Would you be able to risk your own life to protect others? Do you care enough about others for that? Because they hated war they decided to live in Orb. That's why I hate war too and I have Natural friends like Milly and Tolle and Coordinator friends like Kira. And you say we weren't fighting seriously?! Then you should have exploded time ago along with this ship! If you're so frustrated why don't you make yourself useful like Tolle, Milly and Sai instead of spending all your time crying, hiding under your pillow, or pampering yourself?! Or at least quit bitching around and being in people's way all the time! Tell me, have you ever thought about our feelings every time we go out and put our lives on the line? Of course not since you're too selfish and self-centered... but then don't talk like you know! You don't even try to see or to think... Kira and I are not heartless war machines! We're humans too! But you're too much of a damn coward to try to understand us! Do you really think you're the only one who's scared and suffering? Naturals and Coordinators, everyone is suffering! But you couldn't care less about that, do you?! We don't want to fight, we don't want to kill, but we still do it... this hopeless feeling of decaying and wasting away inexorably each time we do it... just what do you know of us?! So before you go shooting your mouth off, think a little more about others! This is war! I hate it as much as you do but this is war! Even children know that are never any guarantees... that's why we all want it to end... You're not in your doll house anymore. This is reality. Face it!" She had cried out, and released her resentment, her rage, her sorrow, but that didn't stop her from feeling guilty, powerless, shameful, frustrated, angry at herself for having vented on her even if she partly deserved it. But still, the tears wouldn't fall.

They all stood there, frozen. In all those years, it was the first time that they had ever seen Seren snap like this. She might act a bit cold and harsh at times, but because she always acted to strong in front of them, because she always appeared so calm and rational, accepting their situation so easily, and yet always so warm and friendly with them, like she hadn't really changed... they had taken everything for granted, and they had forgotten. She was a Coordinator, but she was like them. She definitely wasn't the type to cry easily, complain or make excuses for herself... well, she might not have cried but they had seen, without a doubt, the tears in her eyes... so for her to snap like this...

Seren ran away, followed by Kira. Despite all appearances, they had REALLY done the best they could given their opponents. She climbed onto the elevator, holding the railing with her left hand while her right hand was tightly clutching her left arm, her beautiful face and heart wrenched in distress. Kira climbed with her, gazing at her disconsolate profile that reflected his.

_"Using a rescued civilian as a hostage... fighting alongside those cowards, is that your justice, Kira, Seren?!" _Athrun's enraged and disappointed voice was still replaying in their minds, painfully vivid... and echoing their own feelings... as well as Mu La Flaga's bitterly truthful comment... _"The reason we had to resort to such shameful actions is because we're weak, right?" _And Flay's spitefully vicious lash out... _"Because you two are Coordinators too... you weren't fighting seriously, were you?!" _The boy slowly and gently wrapped his arms around the girl who leant back against him and hugged him back.

They passed like ghosts in the hallways, their heads down, not even noticing Kuzzey. They stopped at the windows looking over the back of the ship. Now that they were finally away from their friends, and could no longer hurt them by letting themselves be seen like this, they finally let go. Their embrace tightened as they clung for dear life. Kira cried and howled in anguish. But Seren was tightly shutting her eyes, still refusing to let the tears fall. Back then, she had snapped, but now she had to be strong, for Kira... Suddenly, they heard a kind and sweet voice ask them what was wrong. It was Lacus Clyne. She was smiling softly. The two let go of each other. She straightened her tilted form. And Seren slightly turned away and stepped a little behind Kira. She couldn't face her.

Dressed in a bathrobe, Le Creuset was drying his hair when he received a communication. A man's voice informed him that there was a message from Chairman Zala of the National Defense Committee and asked whether he should forward it. The Commander declined as he would take it from the bridge.

"My, my... such a big fuss over one little girl's life." He sighed, taking a few capsules of medicine with water... and sounding quite unappreciative of the value of life. He looked at his open hand, turned it, and clenched his fist.

Lacus noticed the tears in Kira's eyes and reached out her hand to wipe them but he recoiled and dried them with his sleeve before asking her what she was doing here. The girl had been taking a stroll when she had heard a loud voice. The boy blushed and reminded her she shouldn't be walking like this on her own without permission. She could be accused of being a spy.

"Oh? But Pink-chan here loves taking walks. Or, in fact, if a door's locked he will always open it and go out." The idol looked up pensively, her hand cupping her cheek.

"Anyway, let's go back. Come." He offered her his hand. But instead of taking it she playfully flew a little further away.

"The fighting has ended I see."

"Yes, well, thanks to you." Kira replied weakly, looking away. Both he and Seren were recalling just how it was thanks to her that the fighting had stopped and their chests tightened again.

"Yet you have very sad expressions."

"Well, the truth is we... we really don't want to fight. We are Coordinators too. And Athrun was a very close friend of ours..."

"Athrun?"

"Athrun Zala... that he is the pilot of that mobile suit, the Aegis..." The boy spoke with obvious pain, the same pain that could be seen on Seren's face. And having overheard them, hidden the hallway, Kuzzey's eyes widened in surprise. He left just a second later, careful not to be seen.

"Is that so?" Smiling kindly, Lacus floated towards Kira who took her hands in his. "But you, Seren and Athrun are very good people. That is a truly sad thing." She looked down.

"Do you know Athrun?!"

"Athrun Zala is the person I will very eventually marry." The pink-haired girl smiled again. Yamato was shocked. He turned to the pilot of the Blast, surely she was as... shocked... as... him... No, he couldn't see her expression very well, but she didn't seem surprised at all. She already knew about it? That downcast figure, the way she was clutching her left arm with her right hand... "I actually told Seren the same things earlier. You haven't mentioned it?" The songstress wondered innocently. Suddenly, Kira remembered his childhood friend's appearance right before the battle when she had gone out of Lacus' room...

"Ah, no, well, we didn't really have time for that..." He excused her.

"Oh, that's right." The idol remembered. "He's a kind person but very quiet." She caught Haro who was passing by. "And he gave me this Haro. When I told him I really liked it, he made one after another!" It was easy for Kira and Seren to imagine their childhood friend making these robots, and his awkward expression when giving them to her, and the few dozens of haros that must be hopping about in her house.

"Is that so. Athrun hasn't changed one bit. He made my Torii too, as well as Seren's Chacha. But..."

"It would be nice if the three of you no longer had to fight each other." Lacus voiced the feeling in their hearts.

"Well, I do understand how Flay feels. But that was too mean!" Milly gave her opinion. Although she also agreed that Seren had been really overly harsh too. She didn't have to slap Flay! She, Tolle, and Sai were sitting in the cafeteria discussing the most recent incident when they were joined by Kuzzey.

""Because you two are Coordinators too, you weren't fighting seriously, were you?" huh?" Sai quoted his fiancée.

"That's not true at all! Kira and Seren are fighting the best they can all the time!" Tolle denied vehemently. His girlfriend agreed.

"No, don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm doubting them. When you're on the bridge you understand firsthand just how hard it is to fight a mobile suit even if you don't want to." Sai corrected himself. But Kuzzey wondered if it was really so. They asked what was with him.

"That mobile suit that was taken, the Aegis... I hear the one piloting it is an old friend of Kira and Seren." He revealed. The others gasped. "I overheard them talking with that other Coordinator girl a moment ago... that they were really close friends." And they all thought about what Seren had said... the feelings they had when going out into battle, the feeling of killing someone, how both Coordinators and Naturals were scared and suffering... Somehow, they had forgotten, and received a grim reminder...

Almost everyone was sleeping. But not the two mobile suits pilots. They were still in their uniforms, sitting on their beds in deep in their somber thoughts, their knees to their chests. Their robot pets chittered on their shoulders, concerned, and went on their hands.

_"Athrun Zala is the person I will eventually marry."_

And both had taken their decision.

They unwittingly met before the 'prisoner's' room. When they opened the door, she was sleeping. Haro woke her up with the noise he was making. They told him to keep quiet. Lacus was surprised to see Kira-sama and Seren-sama here and asked them what was wrong. They told her not to say anything and come with them, very quietly. She changed and followed them. When they saw Sai in the hallway, Kira hid her and stood before to hide her more from their view. Miriallia came out of a room too as it was soon time for their shift. They noticed Kira being strange, Seren at his side. And from behind them, Lacus suddenly popped up... with Haro hopping and chattering as usual. Sai and Milly were incredulous. The singer smiled innocently, Kira looked very troubled to say the least and Seren was standing firm. The Naturals asked them what they were doing and what they were planning to do with that girl. They couldn't be...?!

"Please let us go without asking anything. We don't want you to get involved!" Kira requested.

"You didn't see anything. You didn't hear anything." His childhood friend concurred. "We just can't stand this situation."

"Well, keeping a girl hostage is something the bad guys would do. I'll help." Sai scratched the back of his head, smiling. And Milly agreed with him. Seren tried to protest but they wouldn't listen.

They went to the changing room and took out a cosmonaut suit for her to wear over what she was currently wearing. But with that long puffy dress under her short slightly fitter dress... Well, she instantly understood and started pulling down her long dress... right before Kira's eyes! Seren turned the guy so he'd face the other side and helped Lacus into the suit. Then the pilots changed too. They left the room and joined with Sai and Miriallia who had been on the look out outside. Sai recoiled before Lacus' bulging 'stomach' (where the dress had been stuffed).

"Ah, no... it's just that suddenly... "how many months has it been?"... or something?" He justified himself sheepishly. But as a stupid question called for a stupid answer... Seren judged it should somewhere within the last three months. Kira and Milly sighed. Geez... they knew she was given to irony and that her mouth had a strong tendency to shoot off before her brain when she'd hear idiotic remarks. But she didn't have to get along with it now!

At the hangar, they made sure no one was looking and went to the Strike first. Kira got on the pilot's seat and Lacus sat on his lap. Then Seren went to the Blast. Lacus thanked the two Naturals for their help.

"Don't mention it."

"I hope we can meet again."

"I'm not sure about that. Kira, Seren, you'll come back, right? You'll definitely come back, right?" They heard desperation in Sai's voice.

"Definitely. I promise." The two Coordinators smiled. Seren also did a salute before going into her machine and starting it. But Murdoch and other mechanics had noticed them and weren't very happy about what they were doing.

"Definitely! It's a promise!" Sai insisted as he and Miriallia floated away. X105 walked forward, x216 right behind it. Its pilot warned everyone to stay back since he was opening the hatch. "Make sure you do, Kira, Seren! I trust you!"

The alert sounded in the bridge. The captain asked what it was about. The hatch opened and the catapult unfolded.

"Strike, Blast! What are you doing, Kira Yamato, Seren Ashford?!" Natarle demanded.

"The kids are taking the girl out! It's too late! The air lock's already been opened!" La Flaga informed her from the hangar.

"What?!" The strict ensign could barely believe such insubordination. Their stupid and selfish behavior was endangering the whole ship! Everyone on the bridge gasped in sheer surprise. The Strike was equipped with the Aile Striker and the Blast with the Nova Blast Off. Kira told Lacus to hold on as they were leaving. And Haro replied 'you too'. They launched.

The Vesalius instantly confirmed two mobile suits launches from the legged ship. The alert was ringing through the whole ship and all mobile suits pilots were ordered to prepare for immediate takeoff. Athrun boarded the Aegis.

"This is the mobile suit Strike of the Earth Alliance Forces' Archangel." Kira introduced himself.

"And the mobile suit Blast of the same."

"We are bringing Lacus Clyne to you! In return, I demand that the Nazca-class halt! We will hand her over on the condition that we are met by the pilot of the Aegis alone! Should this condition be breached, I cannot guarantee her safety!" Kira warned ZAFT. Mu La Flaga got into his Moebius Zero and prepared to sortie. Then, by setting the communication so only the ones in the Strike could hear, Seren also gave her childhood friend a warning...

"Kira, even if we can trust Athrun, I don't think we should blindly trust his commander. They're definitely going to attack as soon as they'll have Lacus back so please be prepared."

"What?! No!"

"We're naïve children doing things for our own convenience! Adults don't care about our circumstances! They only obey the rules of war. The fact is that we're putting the Archangel at risk and they're all perfectly aware of that. You don't have to believe me. Just be prepared in case."

At first, Captain Ades suspected a trap from the Ashitsuki. Athrun contacted him and his Commander and pleaded to be allowed to go but the captain still doubted the enemy's intentions. He even doubted Lacus' presence in the mobile suit. Athrun insisted. The possibility that this could be a plot to assassinate him had not even crossed his mind. He was not aware of how much he still trusted Kira and Seren. All eyes turned to the commander. His usual strange smile appeared on his lips.

"All right. I authorize it."

"Thank you very much." The boy smiled sincerely and ended the connection.

"Are you sure about this? And there are TWO enemy mobile suits..." Ades questioned.

"This can definitely be seen as a chance. If you look attentively at the Blast's position and movements, you'll notice that it is carefully observing both us and the legged ship. It seems that the enemy's pilots are also very young. Stop the ship and prepare my CGUE for takeoff, Ades." And Rau left the bridge. While he could readily admit their skills and discernment, their hopeless naivety was quite damning... The Aegis launched.

"Captain! They've done that on their own without authorization! We should attack!" Natarle pressed her hesitating superior.

"If we did that, the Blast would attack us this time!" La Flaga argued. The ensign recoiled. "Perhaps." Mu winked. But that was probable. Seren was one who always did what needed to be done (however reluctantly), which was why things went usually fine... but she was also known as being strongly self-willed and refractory, notably on certain occasions. And should those aspects of her combine... should they do anything that would make her see them as enemies... and so Badgiruel had no choice but to fold for now. Ramius had a small smile on her lips, grateful at how her fellow lieutenant was protecting these three children in his own way...

"The Nazca-class has cut its engines! Braking jets!" Romero Pal announced. In the CIC, Jackie Tonomura notified the bridge of the approaching Aegis. The bright red gundam stopped before the Strike that aimed its rifle at it.

"Athrun... Zala?" Kira asked, very tense.

"That's right."

"Open your cockpit!" Yamato commanded. Athrun obeyed. The Strike's pilot also opened his cockpit. The ZAFT soldier looked at the Blast. The cockpit opened and Seren stepped forward a little as proof that she meant no harm even though her rifle was directed the Archangel and her Schwert Gewehr Lanze was directed at the Vesalius. She would simply stop anyone who would interfere. But more than anything, she wanted to see Athrun again, from up close, one last time, and not just the Aegis. Kira asked Lacus to speak since her face could not be seen. They had to let him know it was really her. The songstress greeted Athrun and waved at him, and so did Haro in its own way. The pilot of the Aegis smiled and confirmed. "Then take her with you!"

The red suit unfastened his belt and stood at the edge of the latch, holding onto the superior half. Kira gently pushed the girl away towards her fiancé. The two Earth Alliance pilots watched with a very sad smile as she floated over to that man. She caught his hand and he brought her over to him. And Athrun had the same reaction as Sai when he saw her swollen belly.

"Thank you for everything Kira, Seren, and you, Athrun." Lacus smiled at everyone in turn. Her fiancé bowed slightly.

"Kira, Seren, you come too!" Athrun suddenly burst out. "There's no reason for you to remain with the Earth Forces!" He had saved Lacus, he had got her back. And Kira and Seren had saved her. Now if only he could get them back too...

"I don't want to fight you either..." Kira replied after an initial shock. Tolle, Miriallia, Sai, Kuzzey... gathered in the cafeteria, their heads down in anxiety... Milly and Tolle worriedly gazing at him... And the fear and hope in Sai's and Milly's eyes when he had boarded the Strike to return Lacus... "But aboard that ship are people I want to protect... there are my friends!" He yelled out in distress, ready to cry. Athrun gritted his teeth, his green eyes narrowed in intense suffering.

"Seren!" He cried in desperation. At least... at least her!

"Sorry... as long as you guys insist on sinking the Archangel and the Strike... in order to protect them, to protect my friends... I will have no choice but to fight!" And although he couldn't really see her face, he could clearly tell... her voice, her form, filled to the brim with sorrow and agony. She knew and Kira knew that he was doing his very best to protect them because he cared so much about them. But Kira and Seren had other people they cared about, and they were the only ones who could protect them. Athrun felt his chest tighten again; he felt his heart cracking and the blood seeping through. He hung his head.

"Then it can't be helped." He raised himself again. "The next time we battle, I will shoot you!" He declared with strength and sorrow.

"The same goes for me!" Kira replied with the same grief and determination. Seren kept quiet and returned inside the Blast. She fastened her belt and closed her cockpit like Kira had done. After they backed a little, the Strike lowered its rifle, soon followed by Seren. Athrun and Lacus kept watching as the gap grew and grew.

"The enemy mobile suits are moving away!" The captain of the Vesalius shouted.

"Start the engines, Ades!" Le Creuset ordered. The CGUE was launched. The Archangel's CIC detected it. Natarle gasped. Romero stated that the Vesalius' engines had also started. It was just as La Flaga had thought. And just as Seren had thought and told Kira.

"Commander!?" Athrun exclaimed, shocked.

"Athrun! Return to the Vesalius with Lacus-jou!" Rau instructed.

"Lieutenant La Flaga!" Kira was just as stunned.

"Did you really think they'd just sit back and watch?!" The lieutenant yelled. Both Athrun and Kira made a frustrated sound... at the adults who could not understand them, and at themselves for being so trustful and unsuspecting of the adults, almost to the point of gullibility. Seren stopped and aimed at the oncoming CGUE, waiting for it to come as close as possible. This time... definitely... The white mobile suit passed the red one. Fear was written all over Athrun's handsome face. He obviously wanted nothing more than to stop him. And without even looking at her fiancé, Lacus leant forward. He tried to tell her to be careful since she could hurt herself but his mind was only half to it as preoccupied as he was by Kira and Seren... and she seemed so firm and unwavering... She pushed a button.

"Commander Rau Le Creuset! Please stop! Are you trying to turn this location into a battlefield despite my presence here as the representative of the memorial delegation?" The daughter of the Chairman of the PLANTs' Supreme Council demanded. The calm regality and the hint of fierceness in her voice were very different from her usual tone and yet, one could not help but feel that she was doubtlessly Lacus Clyne. The Commander swore innerly... that little girl... what was she saying at a time like this?! "I will not allow it! Please stop all offensive actions at once! Do you not hear me?" She commanded. Rau cursed the troublesome young lady in a low voice.

"Roger that, Lacus Clyne!" And the CGUE turned about and flew over to the Vesalius. Athrun looked at Lacus in great surprise and relief. She smiled sweetly.

Seren had lowered her weapon and turned around.

"I don't know what just happened, but we're returning too. We don't wanna stir up a hornet's nest." La Flaga told the two kids. They agreed in a small downhearted voice. And the three flew back to the Archangel. "That was one unbelievable princess." The man commented suddenly after a pause. Tears had gathered at the corner of the Coordinators' eyes. Before their complete silence, he started the visual communication and asked them what the matter was.

"No. It's nothing." They said. And they hung their heads. They closed their eyes and the tears fell down.

In the Archangel, Flay had woken up in the darkness and sat up on her bed. Her stormy eyes reflected cold, dark and grim resolution.

"I won't let things remain like this."

* * *

><p>We dreamt of having our wishes granted and hung our heads without having them granted. We understood the meaning of life, the meaning of partings, the meaning of loss, and the meaning of sacrifice. Overcome by emotions, people screamed and cried. They must be exhausted by those released feelings. We're not such adults as to be able to bear the burdens. Are we unable to protect?<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**Phase-11: Awakening blades**

"The defendants fail to understand how much their actions endangered the ship." Ensign Badgiruel accused as the trial counsel.

"That comment is no more than an analogy." Lieutenant La Flaga argued as the defense counsel. "I ask that it be taken out of the court records."

"I authorize its deletion." Lieutenant Ramius permitted in her quality of presiding judge.

"In the first place, I believe that taking a civilian as a hostage goes against Article 4 of the Corsica Treaty..." Mu stated, looking into his book.

"These actions taken come under Exception section C of the same article...'Measures Taken During Wartime'." The prosecutor fended without the slightest hint of hesitation as she knew the code by heart. The defender flipped through his book. Exception section C? He had never heard of it.

"Ah, well, but... the Nazca-class withdrew and we escaped a difficult situation because they released the hostage!"

"That is only a hindsight-based opinion."

"Kira Yamato, is there anything you would like to add?" The captain inquired. "Why did you take such action without authorization?"

"I didn't rescue her so she could be used as a hostage." Kira replied like a sulking child.

"Right! If anything, you'd want her for a girlfriend, right?" La Flaga teased.

"Objection!" Natarle stood up. Ramius told the defense to watch his words and turned toward the other teen. Seren at least should have known better.

"It's just that I haven't sold my soul to the military yet. I knew the risks but I had confidence that things would be fine." The girl replied. Naturally, she was asked what she meant. "I have spoken with Lacus Clyne more than anyone else on this ship. She's not the naïve airhead she appears to be. She has a deep, charismatic, strong-willed, and determined personality. And she's a pacifist who, like her father, wishes for Naturals and Coordinators to coexist in harmony. She's very aware of her position of authority and knows how to make use of it as you remarked. If it's her, I'm sure she can help end this conflict more quickly, more peacefully. I get order is necessary to avoid chaos. But if you don't keep an open mind, you won't be able to see things you could have seen and you'll be strangled by that leash. Refusing to understand and acknowledge the other, closing yourself off to the possibilities, that isn't loyalty but short-sighted narrow-mindedness." She looked insistently at the ensign who glared back at her before once more turning to the judge. "My friends are onboard anyway, I won't risk their lives inconsiderately. I swore on my life to protect them and this ship and that's what I'll keep doing. I also promise to refrain from further unauthorized actions." She affirmed strongly. "Now please, let this **_martial _**court pass judgment."

"Then, Kira Yamato, Seren Ashford, your actions are in violation of Article 3 Section B, Article 10 Section F, and infringement of Article 13 Section 3 of the martial law. Therefore, said people will be... sentenced to death!" The captain and judge declared without a shred of hesitation or mercy. Kira recoiled in sheer horror and felt his heart stop beating. His childhood friend did not show the slightest emotion. There was nothing to fear, really. "However, as Seren-kun implied, this is purely a sentence for those under court martial. The military law carries with it no provision to sentence civilians." The female lieutenant had recovered her gentle demeanor. "I call upon Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford to consider their actions carefully from now on. I now adjourn this court case." She concluded. The boy stammered. Mu rephrased the conclusion in more simple terms for him: don't do stuff without permission anymore. He stood up and threw his law book backwards. The ensign glared at him for his careless behavior.

Flay left her room.

Sai and Miriallia were anxiously waiting before the room where the mock trial had been held. The door opened and the two Coordinators came out. Their friends immediately asked whether they were alright, how it had gone, what they had been told, what their punishment was... like if they too would have to clean the toilets for a week...

"Hey, that's a great idea! Shall we have you do that?" La Flaga wondered, half joking, as he pushed the boys apart so he could pass. The two had been blocking the entrance. The strict ensign left without a word. She was still scowling. The Coordinators reassured their friends. They were not being punished.

"That's good. But that means it's just us?" Sai commented.

"Murdoch-gunsou totally scolded us. He said, 'Do you two even know the meaning of 'danger'?!" Milly nicely imitated the chief mechanic. Kira and Seren apologized and offered to help but were turned down. They'd be meeting up with the 8th fleet soon anyway. It wasn't going to be much of a burden.

Hearing her fiancé's and the Coordinators' voices, Flay stopped and hid to listen.

"Kuzzey said he heard you two talking with that girl, that the one who pilots the Aegis is your friend." Sai's words, spoken light-heartedly, dropped like a bomb for Kira, Seren, and Flay who gasped in shock, their eyes wide. "Honestly speaking, I was a bit worried."

"Sai..."

"But I'm glad. You two returned like you said you would." And Sai and Milly left to report to the bridge for their shift. Not one person had noticed Flay's presence. The small smile on Kira's and Seren's lips vanished. They hung their heads as they recalled how Sai had kept iterating his vow of trust in them. They left under Flay's disconcerted gaze. But then, her expression hardened.

Aboard the Gamow, Captain Zellman, Yzak, Dearka and Nicol were trying to devise their next course of action. And as often, Nicol was at odds with the two others. Sure they could catch up with the ashitsuki before they joined with the 8th fleet, but they only had 10 minutes to sink it before entering the fleet's firing range.

"You mean we have a full ten minutes, right?" Dearka corrected.

"Cowards should keep quiet." Yzak added, smirking. Nicol frowned at the insult. "Are there only ten minutes? Or is it a full ten minutes? It's all in how you view it. I'd be sorry if we let them slip away with those ten minutes we have."

"I agree. The success of the surprise attack isn't measured by the actual time spent." Dearka concurred.

"I know that, but..." The youngest red uniform protested.

"I hear that the Vesalius will be returning as soon as Miss Lacus is handed over to Commander Laconi's ship. We'll sink the Legged Ship before that. Got it?" The blue-eyed leader instructed. The others agreed, though one more reluctantly than the other. Both Yzak and Dearka were brimming with self-assurance... and forgetting how they had been unable to sink either ship, Strike or Blast despite all the time they had, even when Athrun was with them.

The Vesalius... Athrun was floating in a hallway. Haro came ricocheting on the walls like a pinball ball. He caught it right before it crashed against his face. He closed his eyes and sighed, muttering Lacus' name. She had come out of her room without permission again...

"Haro seems overly excited. He's happy to see you after all this time." The pink haired girl joined him.

"Haro does not have such things as emotions." The soldier explained gently. Also, she might be a guest here, but the Vesalius was a warship. It would be best if she did not wander too much outside her room. So he took her back to her room. The door closed behind them. She was a little down that everyone told her that wherever she went. It was boring. However, it couldn't be helped. That was the situation they were in.

"What is it, Athrun?" Lacus asked when she noticed her fiancé staring at her curiously.

"Nothing... ah... hum... I was wondering how you were feeling." He stammered, embarrassed to have been caught staring so openly. It had been a bit rude on his part. "Well, you have been taken hostage, so you must have been through a lot."

"I am fine." The songstress smiled and stepped closer to him. "Your friends treated me very well while I was on that other ship. Seren-sama came to me whenever she could and we talked a lot."

"Is that so..."

"Kira-sama and Seren-sama are very kind people. And they're very strong."

"They're idiots! They insisted that they're not soldiers, yet they're still in those things! He's just being used! Something about friends, he says! Because his parents are Naturals, that's why... And Seren should know better! With her mother being a Coordinator killed by Blue Cosmos. She'd be warmly welcomed and she's Senator Canaver's niece too... but she's always pampered Kira, followed him, taking care of him...!"

"Did you want her to turn to you more often, to follow you and take care of you?"

"That's...!" But Athrun did not know what to say. Lacus reached out her hand to touch his cheeks but he stepped back and turned around. He didn't want to be comforted. He just wanted those people at his side.

"They said they did not want to fight against you."

"I feel the same!" Athrun burst again. "Why would I want to fight them..." He closed his eyes, frustrated, upset beyond words. He straightened himself and saluted. He excused himself and started leaving.

"You always have a pained expression these days."

"I can't exactly fight a war with a big smile on my face." The boy replied, his tone more biting than usual.

"Athrun." Lacus stopped him. "When I told Seren-sama that we were fiancés, she hugged me very tightly, and she asked me, she begged me to take care of you, to be your ally no matter what." At those words, the pilot froze. "And she... was trembling." Athrun sharply turned his head to her, his green eyes wide, just as the door closed. He stared at the closed door for a time. His fists tightened. And he left.

"We'll reach the rendezvous point in about thirty minutes. We somehow managed to make it this far." Murrue sounded quite relieved. Unlike her second in command who sternly ordered to conduct enemy searches and lookouts rigorously. Fleets stood out. Enemies would be targeting them. She wasn't going to relax until the very last second. The captain glared slightly at her.

Sai and Kuzzey were picking at their food in the cafeteria. Elle-chan had come to get a glass of water for her mother. Both students also anticipated the imminent rendezvous but Kuzzey doubted they would be allowed to leave too. Since as Lieutenant Ramius said, they would have to stay with her until she could contact the appropriate authorities because of the top military secret – the gundams –they had seen. Sai thought that fleet was certainly the 'appropriate authorities'. But Kuzzey was still unsure. What about Kira and Seren? Would they be able to get off, after all those things they did?

It was then that the mobile suits pilots walked into the room. They stopped when they noticed Sai and Kuzzey but made no sign of acknowledgement and went straight to get their drinks. However, the atmosphere was rather tense. After all, Kuzzey had spied on them and tattled. And Sai had tattled about him, even though the Coordinators weren't emotionally ready to tell them about Athrun. Things would have been fine had they just continued as they were without anyone having to worry needlessly. And there was also the issue with Lacus and Flay... And then, Flay appeared at the door. Sai stood up and cried her name, surprised to see her here. He approached her and, worried, asked whether she was alright and that she should be resting more. Without even looking at him, her eyes fixed on the Coordinators, she answered she was fine and went straight to the two pilots.

"Hum... Kira, Seren, I apologize for earlier. I was in such a panic then, that I said such horrible things... I'm really sorry."

"Flay...!" Kira whispered.

"You fought the best you could to protect us... I..." She looked sideways in guilt and embarrassment, tears at the corner of her eyes.

"Flay! It's okay! At that time..."

"I properly understand as well! That you were doing your best for us... and yet..."

"Thank you Flay. I also apologize... for not being able to able to save your father..."

"And Seren, I also wanted to thank you. If you hadn't snapped like this, I would have surely remained weak and ignorant..."

"I also apologize, for hitting you... and for not having been able to do more..." Seren averted her eyes. She knew what it meant to lose a parent. She knew how losing someone could break you. She should have been able to be more understanding. And yet, she had not been able to stop herself. And because her own feeling of guilt and shame and the realization of her own weaknesses were so strong, they eclipsed even the warning tug of her instinct.

"Wars are so unpleasant. I wish it could end soon." Flay voiced everyone's feelings, but not even Seren noticed the strange smile that curved her lips, and only Sai remarked something strange, subdued, in her tone. Kira agreed with the red head.

It was then that in the bridge, Romero Pal reported radar wave interference and an increase in N-jammers levels. The level one battle alert spread through the ship. Chandra detected the heat source of a Laurassia-class as well the thermal patterns of the Blitz, Buster and Duel. Natarle cursed them for appearing moments before the rendezvous.

"It's a battle! Another battle!" Elle cried, running around in the hallways until she bumped into Kira who had ran out of the cafeteria without seeing her. She fell on her butt. He and Seren were going to help her up when Flay took their place, knelt down and helped the little girl.

"Sorry, onii-chan was in a hurry. We're entering another battle but we'll be alright. This onii-chan and onee-chan will fight for us and protect us."

"Really?"

"Yup." The red haired girl smiled comfortingly. "Because they're gonna go and defeat _all_ the bad guys."

At this, Seren's bad feeling got stronger. _"Because they're gonna go and defeat __**all**__ the bad guys."?!_ Sai called the two pilots. They joined him and Kuzzey at the elevator. Flay stood up, holding the little child's hand. The elevator went up.

"That's right. We must have them kill them all." Flay looked in the Coordinators' direction with a cruel smile on her lips. She tightened her grip so much she hurt the little girl who broke free and ran away from the mean woman.

Mu La Flaga took off in his Moebius Zero. Miriallia informed her friends of the number and nature of the attacking forces once they were in their cockpits. The Strike was equipped with the Aile pack and the Blast with the Blast Off pack. They launched.

"The 8th Fleet is heading our way! Hang in there!" The captain encouraged them. The ensign ordered the activation of the igelstellung, the preparation of the anti-beam charges and the setting up of all stern missiles tubes.

The Duel, Buster and Blitz joined up, flying back to back. The Gamow fired. They suddenly disbanded. The shot passed inbetween them and grazed the Archangel. The ship shook. Ramius gritted her teeth. The enemy had analyzed their evasion algorithm.

"Hiding their line of fire with those three machines... How impressive!" La Flaga commented. He detached his gunbarrels and shot in the middle to divide them before focusing on the Buster. However, his ammunition had no effect on the phase shift armor. Kira came to help and was instantly engaged in battle by the Duel. But against all expectations, instead of defending the Archangel or fighting them as usual, the Blast blew straight past them... right towards the Gamow! Nicol was going to go after it but Yzak stopped him. That this unit had decided to use such an offensive defense had greatly surprised him too but he had kept his level head. He wasn't going to play right into her hand! The Blast's pilot wanted them to lure them all away from the Legged Ship and concentrate all enemy fire and attention on her, facilitating her allies' counterattacks. And if she could do some damage on the ship then it was all the better. However, that plan was a huge gamble... Yzak ordered Dearka to support the Gamow and Nicol to sink the Archangel.

The Valiant at the back of the Earth Alliance battleship fired. The Blitz dodged and disappeared from the radars. It had deployed the mirage colloid. They shot the anti-beam depth charges and switched the stern missiles to shrapnel warheads. The charges deflected Nicol's beams. And from their angle they calculated his approximate position and shot the shrapnel warheads. The ZAFT soldier was forced to deactivate the energy-expensive mirage colloid, which rendered his unit too vulnerable, and protect himself with his shield. Through his gritted teeth, he was smirking. This machine was theirs to begin with. They knew its weaknesses well! The black gundam vanished again. Natarle ordered that the auto-tracking of the igelstellung be disengaged and to put up a barrage. And indeed, with such a wide range, Nicol could not come close.

Yzak took his beam saber and charged at the Strike who shot with his rifle. The beam was parried by the Duel's shield.

"You're not getting away this time!" The red uniform shouted.

"I'm not about to be defeated here!" Kira yelled back, letting go of his rifle and taking his own beam saber and lunging. They clashed. They disengaged. They howled in rage and attacked again.

Mu was having great difficulty keeping the Buster busy as his weapons had little effect and Dearka managed to shoot one of his gunbarrels with his missiles. But what he lacked in firepower, he compensated with skills and experience.

The Laurasia-class frigate was firing all its armaments to destroy both the Archangel and the Blast and was being rather difficult to approach too. Seren also had to deal with the Buster's occasional but well aimed shots. The legged ship dodged using a random evasion algorithm and fired with the Gottfrieds. The beams passed without damage and the ZAFT vessel kept attacking. The shot hit the Archangel's number 6 sensor array! Temperature rising within the laminated armor! The anti-beam charges stopped two more but the battleship of the Earth Forces was struck again. The armor cooling system couldn't keep up! The temperature of the ship's hull was rising rapidly! It wouldn't last another two hits! Noticing the situation of the Archangel, Seren abandoned all defense and charged at the Gamow and dived under it.

The Archangel turned bow, 20 to starboard. The Blitz had managed to close in and land on the ship. They couldn't use they cannons. Their mobile weapons were still in the midst of battle. The black gundam fired at point black range. Miriallia contacted Kira and Seren. The Blitz had come up right to the bridge! They had to get back here! The Coordinators stared in horror at the zoomed footage of their ship being shot again and again.

"The Archangel is...!" With their chest so tight with fear that they felt they were about to implode, they saw the Montgomery explode due to their weakness and inability to protect it, they imagined Flay's consternation after losing the sole relative she had left due to their weakness and inability to protect him, they remembered Flay's promise to that child... _"It'll be alright, because this onii-chan and onee-chan will fight for us and protect us."_...

"I won't let you sink the Archangel!"

Seren and Kira raised their heads and their eyes, their expressions had changed, like something had snapped within them, like a seed exploding, releasing the full extent of all their capacities that were usually bottled up. Seren dodged every single shot with minimum movement and dived at top speed under the Gamow and cut into its left wing. She reappeared behind, and shot all its cannons and railguns as she returned to the Archangel-class.

Kira sidestepped the Duel's slash, got behind and struck sideways, deeply gashing its cockpit. The Strike and the Blast rushed to the Archangel. Yzak followed and fired but not a single shot hit.

The Blast blocked the Buster's beams with its shield and disintegrated its weapon and sped on without the slightest deviation. It put away its rifle and took a beam saber.

"Stop it!" Kira screamed, slashing at the Blitz that jumped back in time but couldn't evade the Strike's knee.

"Gotcha!" Yzak roared. The Strike's pilot turned, grabbed the combat knife and stabbed the duel's cockpit while in the same time the Blast stabbed the cockpit's right side from above with its beam saber. It was too far to the side to physically injure the pilot but the damage it would make was undeniable. Sparks showered. An explosion occurred. Seren withdrew her weapon and using the X102 as a stepping stone, jumped at the Blitz and deeply sliced its right arm before turning and heel kicking the enemy's head. She returned at the Strike's side. Nicol joined his comrade and held the Duel.

"Yzak! Yzak! Are you alright?!" He shouted worriedly. "Dearka!"

"What's wrong, Nicol?" Dearka was still fighting with La Flaga. With the rifle destroyed, he could only use his gun launcher and the missiles.

"It's Yzak!" The explosion had broken the visor of his helmet and the shards had injured his face.

"Yzak?!" The Buster's pilot repeated, incredulous. To think that their leader could be injured like this...

"Dearka, we must retreat! The enemy fleet is coming and the Gamow has been severly damaged!" Nicol took over. Dearka cursed. And they returned to the Laurasia-class.

The victorious Earth Alliance units landed on the Archangel's deck. Their pilots were breathing heavily.

"They left! You were marvelous, kids!" La Flaga complimented them.

"Lieutenant." They muttered. They were back to normal.

"You..." Mu whispered, sensing that something was different. But he chose to ignore it. "No, you two are unbelievable."

"Not really." The enhanced humans replied. They did not particularly appreciate being praised for feats of arms.

But now, the 8th Fleet was there at last...

"That's right. We must have them beat up _all_ the bad guys..." Flay was sitting on her bed, and another cruel smile curved her lips. "Otherwise, the war will never end..."

* * *

><p>A sad awakening, despair that we cannot hide. When the other is not there, how can we understand each other? We searched for the answer. We didn't want to make excuses for things we couldn't understand. We just wanted to protect what was important to us.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: thanks to those who decided to follow this story and put it as favorite. Also, I decided to put a little poll on my profile. You can take it if you want to test your intuition andor your insight/foresight :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Phase-12: By our own will**

"It's too bad that we have to part so soon after we finally got to see each other." Lacus lamented as Athrun was escorting her to the shuttle that would transfer her to the Laurasia-class under Laconi's command that would return her to PLANT.

"The people of PLANT are worried about you." The boy reasoned. They landed. Rau and the other soldiers saluted.

"Commander Le Creuset has also done a lot for me during my stay. Thank you for everything."

"Laconi says he will personally see to your safety." The commander informed her. Lacus asked whether the Vesalius would be back for the memorial ceremony but he didn't know.

"I'm sure war results are important, but please do not forget about the people who fell victims to the war." The idol kindly reminded him.

"I will take your words to heart." Le Creuset replied with the same tone.

"'What is it that one must fight against?' War is very difficult." The girl turned her compassionate and understanding gaze towards her fiancé whose chest and handsome face tightened with pain. "Well then I'll look forward to the day we can meet again." She said her goodbyes with a smile and boarded the shuttle.

From a porthole, the Commander and the elite pilot watched as the shuttle flew towards the Laurasia-class.

"'What is it that one must fight against?'" Le Creuset repeated, almost derisively. The young soldier turned to him. "You've heard about Yzak and the Gamow?"

"Yes." Athrun answered after a moment. Yzak's injury, and the significant damage on the Gamow...

"The Strike... unless you shoot it down, you could be its next victim... And the Blast... she's actually the one that dealt the most physical damage... but she's also the most naïve... She almost never goes for the kill, especially against the units we stole. Despite having her enemies at her mercy, she lets them escape. That weakness must be taken advantage of before she realizes the reality of war... or we will regret it from our graves..." The man put a hand on his shoulder and floated away. What they should fight against was obvious. Athrun looked on with a very distressed expression. His friends had killed and tried to kill each other... His friend had hurt another friend. His friend had killed some of his allies and yet in her own way, protected his friends. _"that weakness must be taken advantage of..."_ Calling her kindness and compassion a weakness... killing Seren... killing Kira... despite everything that had been said, despite everything that had been done, more than anything, even if he didn't have the right to, even if he didn't know how to, he still wanted to protect these two...

"Turn 180 degrees. Reduce speed another 20% and match velocity." Captain Ramius instructed. And the Archangel took its place into the 8th Fleet and sailed right to the side of its flagship, the Agamemnon-class carrier Menelaos. Watching the footage of the fleet and the Menealos, the civilians in the lounge all had happiness and intense relief written all over them. Almost three weeks after the collapse of Heliopolis, after having their hopes raised and dashed so many times already, they could finally see the end of the tunnel. They had arrived at last! After all, who would be stupid enough to attack a whole fleet?!

"But is this really alright... for us to sail right besides the Menelaos?" Neumann wondered, although unable to contain his smile and the light edge of excitation in his tone. Indeed, despite their sheer war waging ability and achievements, they just didn't have the 'status'.

"Rear Admiral Halberton probably wants a good look at the ship." Murrue devised, doing a (very) slightly better job at controlling her emotions. "He says he will personally visit us later. The Rear Admiral was the number one supporter of the development of this ship and the Gs."

Hundreds of Orb civilians had gathered in the hallways with their luggage. They were to be transferred to the Menelaos so they could board a shuttle that would take them down to Earth. But Kuzzey was fearfully wondering what would happen to them Heliopolis engineering students who had taken on jobs on the battleship. But Sai, Tolle and Milly weren't the least bit worried. Of course they'd be able to disembark! They might be wearing uniforms but they were still civilians after all! Flay, though, had a rather unexpected expression. Even though she had been rejoicing with everyone earlier, now she appeared confused, conflicted...

The captain left her post, telling her subordinates to hold the fort a moment. She was joined in the elevator by her vice captain who had things to discuss with her...

"What do you plan to do about the Strike and the Blast?" The ensign asked bluntly.

"Plan to do? What do you mean?"

"Everyone aboard this ship knows that we were only able to make it this far because of these machines' abilities, and because those two were the ones piloting them. Are you letting them go as well?" Natarle voiced her opinion. Murrue was frowning sadly. The door slid open and without giving an answer, she closed her eyes and flew away. Badgiruel went after her.

"I understand what you're trying to say, Natarle. But Kira and Seren are not members of the military. Seren notably has made her point clear a number of times, hasn't she?" The brown-haired woman argued. The vice captain looked down. She was remembering the mock trial... and what had caused it, and many occurences before that. But even though, Seren had dealt such damage to the Gamow and the enemy units, same for Kira!

"But their abilities are extremely valuable!" She insisted. "We can't afford to lose them!"

"Regardless of their power and abilities, we can't force them to join, can we?" The captain stopped and looked straight at her. That one had obviously got the ensign. They had arrived at a crossroad. Ramius closed her eyes and left. Although when she opened her eyes again, they were full of incertainty.

Mu was very relaxedly lying down, floating and dozing, near the entrance of his Moebius Zero. Suddenly Kira popped up from the shaft below, scaring him to death. He wanted to know what was with all that rush. They were with the fleet now! The enemy couldn't attack a whole fleet, right? They were in security.

"I feel uneasy while it remains damaged!" The lieutenant snapped back, his fist up, still angry after having been woken up like this.

"He's right, Kira. ZAFT has a habit of attacking at the last minute right before the goal when we think everything's safe and we relax the most. The Commander of the Vesalius is especially skilled. We must be careful." Seren agreed with a scolding motherly tone, popping up between the two men. La Flaga had asked them both to help [the mechanics] repair his mobile armor [while he was napping].

"The pilots of the 8th fleet are all youngsters. Should something happen, we'll need the lieutenant to sortie." Murdoch concurred, coming over towards them. The lieutenant made a thumb up. But more importantly, the Coordinators wanted to know about the Strike and the Blast. Was it really alright to leave them as they were?

"Eh? Hum... well, I do get your point, but going through the trouble of returning them to their original state and lowering their performance is somewhat..." Mu seemed also quite perplexed as to what should be done.

"If possible, one would hope that certain people would stay and keep operating them as they are..." The female lieutenant arrived, smiling sincerely, kindly, understandingly. The men were surprised to see the captain in such a place. "Sorry to interrupt. I wanted to talk to Kira-kun and Seren-kun." She apologized. But then she noticed the rather wary look the mobile suit pilots were giving her. "Don't make such suspicious expressions." She said lightly. "But I guess it can't be helped." The woman admitted good-heartedly. After all, each time she would personally see them, it was to threaten, convince, or force them into something. They followed her.

"I really didn't have the time for the chance to have a good talk with you. I... just wanted to thank you properly." The captain turned to them, a little embarrassed. That surprised them. "I put you through a great deal of hardship. I'm truly grateful for what you've done." She bowed, which surprised them even more. "I said many unreasonable things and you still did your best. I'm truly grateful."

"Uhh, it's alright, Captain..." Kira was the one getting embarrassed. Seren kept staring at her.

"Although the others don't put it into words, everyone is thankful to you as well." The captain raised herself and both Coordinators were touched by the motherliness of her smile. "Given the current situation, I imagine things will be hard on you even if you go down to Earth, but I wish you the best of luck." She held out her hand. Kira took it and squeezed it. Lieutenant Murrue Ramius was a good and just officer, and a good human. She was warm, open, kind, caring, and supportive. And yet she could also be very firm, and strong. She was not just a superior praying for her subordinates' well-being, somehow, she also reminded Seren of a parent respectful of her children's decision and wishing them good luck. Even though the paths they had chosen were different, they would always be in each other's thoughts.

"Lieutenant Ramius, it's true that we suffered a lot. But even though we don't eye to eye so often, we can also say that you and everyone on this ship are good people. And in this turmoil, Kira and I – and I don't think I'm wrong when I speak for him – feel lucky to have been picked up by you. I guess it could be called a stroke of fortune in all our misfortune. Anyway... we are glad to have met you and we also wish the best to you and this ship." The girl tightly clasped the woman's hand with a warm and sincere smile.

A shuttle from the Menelaos boarded the Archangel and Rear Admiral Lewis Halberton came out, very pleasantly surprised to see his beloved student, Murrue Ramius, all well and waiting for him. She, the two other commissioned officers, as well as the surviving members of the original crew with posts on the bridge were saluting. When the fleet commander had first heard about the collapse of Heliopolis he had thought everything was over. He was glad to see her, especially since he had been a little nervous because of the battle earlier. He asked everyone whether they were alright. Natarle Badgiruel and Mu La Flaga stepped forth and introduced themselves. Halberton shook his hand and rejoiced of his presence and contribution to the protection of this ship and the Gs. He then asked about the youngsters in uniform a little further away. The kanchou confirmed they were the students of Heliopolis who had helped on the ship. The Rear Admiral pushed past Natarle and went to them, joined by the Captain of the Menelaos. He had checked each of their families and they were all safe. Everyone was greatly relieved. Halberton-shousho also expressed his heartfelt thanks for their having worked so hard in this harsh situation. Hoffman-taisa reminded him in a low voice that they didn't have much time. He nodded.

"I'd love the opportunity to sit down and talk with all of you later." And the officers left. Kira seemed to be having mixed feelings. It was clear that this man had not spoken out of politeness or conventions. Often, the higher people climbed, the less they would care about the ones down the ladder. But he was different. His words were not empty. He really meant them. Even though he had achieved such a high rank, he was still a simple man who knew what was truly important. And that deserved respect. And from just this tiny exchange, the Rear Admiral appeared to have already gained some of Seren's appreciation, which was not such a common feat. However, it should not be forgotten that he was also partly responsible for the development of the G weapons in Heliopolis... If only those gundams hadn't been here...

"The Ziegler and the Gamow have joined us. Although they are not entirely operational, the Gamow has hurried the repairs and should be able to take part in the battle." Ades reported to Commander Le Creuset. The blonde officer wanted to know whether they had been detected. "No, since much of the fleet has descended to quite a low point."

Rau had initially thought they would head towards the Moon headquarters but it seemed like they were planning to bring the Legged Ship down to Earth with probably Alaska as the target point, which would be troublesome. He'd prefer to sink it while it was still in their backyard. The Ziegler had six GINNs, the Vesalius five machines including the Aegis. The Gamow could send out the Buster and the Blitz. It was time for the famous Rear Admiral Halberton to retire... Le Creuset smirked.

"But for just one ship and two Gs, Heliopolis and Artemis were destroyed." Hoffman clearly doubted that the benefits were worth the costs. The three officers of the Archangel were standing before the Halberton's desk. Lieutenant Ramius closed her eyes guiltily. Indeed, even though the Archangel and the G-weapons had been intended to become the spearhead of the Earth Forces, a civilian colony and an allied base were no small sacrifices... Until now their existence had caused more harm than good.

"However, I'm sure that the fact that they at least protected the Strike, the Blast, and this ship will eventually prove to be an advantage to us." The highest officer argued. This ability to judge matters on the long run instead of confining himself to immediate profit was certainly part of his invaluableness.

"It seems Alaska does not think that way." Hoffman debated.

"Humph. What do they know about war in space? Lieutenant Ramius understood my intentions all along. There's nothing in this matter that can be considered a problem."

"Your Excellency..." Murrue whispered, touched.

"Then are we to turn a blind eye to the matter of these young Coordinators?" The Captain of the Menelaos questioned, an eyebrow raised before the shadow of a malicious and derisive smirk curved his lips.

"Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford wanted to protect their friends. They piloted the Strike and the Blast for that reason only. We likely would not have made it this far if not for the abilities of those youngsters. But because of the current situation, they had to fight against their own kind and they suffered greatly because of it. They are sincere and kind youths. I believe we should respond to them with trust." The brown-haired lieutenant honestly conveyed her and the children's wishes. She did not want to betray their expectations after everything they had done.

In their room, Kira and Seren, who had been playing with their robotic pets, left.

Natarle frowned at her superior.

"However, if we let them go like this..." Hoffman trailed off, still not convinced.

"If I may say a word, I agree with Captain Hoffman." Ensign Badgiruel suddenly stepped forward, surprising her fellow Archangel officers. "Their abilities are obvious, and should not be left alone. And since they know about the G-weapons' secrets, letting them disembark like this would be..."

"Humph. ZAFT already has four of those machines. Hardly a secret at this point."

"H-however... their power is extremely valuable! I believe it would be best to have them join the military... "

"But according to what Lieutenant Ramius has said, it doesn't seem like they have any intention of joining."

"His parents and her father are Naturals currently living on Earth since the collapse of Heliopolis. If the army took them into custody..."

"Don't spout nonsense!" The Rear Admiral angrily slammed his fist on the desk, scaring the ensign. "What use would such soldiers be to us?! That would be the surest way of making them our enemies!" Taking parents hostages to make the children risk their lives to fight against their own people... Natarle profoundly apologized and stepped back. "Besides, there's an issue with that girl's father. This is something known by very few people but I think you are trustworthy enough so I will share this information with you." Halberton took out a laptop, typed a series of codes and showed them a confidential file. Murrue, Natarle and Mu gaped, wide eyed, when they saw.

"What?!"

"That's..."

"This is the truth about her and her father's identity. Upon hearing that his daughter was fighting that man decided to come out of retirement and return to his former office. Being part of that family and having close ties with the Royal one... it would be very unwise to make an enemy out of any of their members and strain our relationship with that country." Lewis closed the file and the laptop. "I ask that you keep this information in your heart and that you do not speak of it to anyone." He looked straight at them. The three stepped back, straightened themselves and saluted. "What happened in the past is not important. The problem is what to do from here on." The Rear Admiral stood up. He then informed them that they would have the Archangel descend to the Alaska Headquarters with the same personnel roster. The trio was surprised. The Archangel was a SPACEship.

Kira and Seren arrived at the hangar where practically all the civilians were preparing to board the shuttle. But at the entrance, they stopped and looked down. They looked at each other and continued.

In another part, Murdoch was seeing to the transfer of ammunitions... and was shocked to find out that two skygraspers had been added to the Archangel's arsenal. Hey, hey, those were support fighters made for combat in the atmosphere!

"The advance force that we sent with supplementary personnel has been shot down. So right now we don't have additional crew to allocate to the Archangel." Hoffman explained.

"However, now that Heliopolis has been destroyed, it's all the more important to get the Archangel and the G-weapons along with all of its data down to Alaska." Halberton pointed out. Ramius tried to emit a protest but there was no way around it. They had to get the development of the G-weapons on tracks. ZAFT would doubtlessly continue to send new machines. Despite that, to those idiotic people who threw in funds on useless affairs for their own benefits, the number of soldiers lost on the battlefield was just a figure on paper!

"Very well. I'll be sure to deliver your thoughts to Alaska." The female lieutenant saluted with a smile.

"As a surviving mobile armor pilot, it's an order I can't refuse." La Flaga did the same. The Rear Admiral bowed lightly. He was counting on them.

In a cabin, the Heliopolis students who had helped aboard were greatly surprised to receive their discharge permission. As Kira and Seren were not here, Badgiruel gave the precious papers to Tolle, asking him to give them away later. Indeed, even though it was an emergency situation, it was a crime for civilians to enact the role of military personnel. So to avoid the problem, they had been recognized as volunteer soldiers having enrolled before the incident. The papers said they belonged to the Archangel of the 8th Fleet. Of course, the idea that such laws existed had never once brushed the teens' minds. Hoffman also insisted on the fact that they were subject to confidentiality on information they had been exposed to during military duties even after they would have disembarked. Suddenly, Flay interrupted him. The ensign told her that since she had not participated in combat, she didn't need to go through these procedures.

"No, that's not what I want to ask." She stepped forward. "I... would like to join the military!" She declared, shocking her friends.

The Coordinators were standing on their machine's cockpit, staring pensively at the Strike's and the Blast's head. Torii was on Kira's shoulder while Chacha had chosen Seren's neckline. So much had happened. Their 'reunion' with Athrun in the burning factory, their first fight with the GINN and the Aegis in Heliopolis, and... Their contemplation was suddenly interrupted.

"Are you suddenly feeling nostalgic now that you're disembarking?" They turned to see Lewis Halberton on the passageway. "I take it you're Kira Yamato and Seren Ashford. I read about you in the report." There was kindness in his eyes and smile. "But once again, I'm taken aback... by the sheer abilities of you Coordinators. Those were built to cope with ZAFT's mobile suits but with you guys in them, they become incredible super weapons." The man said, genuinely impressed, without the slightest hint of hostility, greed, envy or anything along the line or that would suggest the presence of some hidden agenda concerning them. He was so different from those people of Artemis. He just simply acknowledged them and accepted them wholly, as fellow humans, just like captain Ramius and lieutenant La Flaga had done.

"That's not-" Kira began, once again, embarrassed. Because he could, he had wanted to do something. That was all there was to it.

"I understand your parents are Naturals."

"Y-yes."

"What kind of dream were they embracing when they made you Coordinators...?" Halberton wondered.

Kira recoiled slightly. He too had often asked himself that very same question... during all those sleepless nights, when he was being gripped by thoughts of all those he had been forced to fight and kill ever since he had first boarded the Strike. And he remembered Seren's words... _"Kira, no matter what anyone says you must never be ashamed to be a Coordinator. Because that would be denying who you are, that would be denying me, that guy, and the hopes our parents entrusted to us by making us this way." _He turned to his childhood friend. Her face was showing no emotion but he wasn't fooled.

"In any case, I'd like nothing more than a quick end to this war!" The Rear Admiral hoped. It was then a subordinate came to fetch him. He was requested to return to the Menelaos immediately. "Here we go again." He sighed. "I'm not even given the chance to have a proper conversation with you guys, especially you, Seren-kun. Your father has returned to his former post in Orb. And he also asked me to deliver a message to you: Just do what you feel is right. In any case, I thank you both for protecting the Strike, the Blast, and the Archangel to this point. Don't die before the arrival of a better day!" Halberton saluted and started leaving but was stopped by the two enhanced humans.

"Sir! Hum... what's going to happen to the Archangel, lieutenant Ramius and the others?"

"The Archangel will proceed onto Earth as is. They will go into the battlefield again."

"Uh... well..." Kira stuttered again. Was it really alright for them to leave like this? And the fact that he didn't try to convince them to stay was somehow disturbing.

"I know what you're concerned about." The officer began after a pause. "Your abilities are certainly attractive to the military. However, it's not as if we'd be sure to win if we had you. War's not that simple! Don't flatter yourselves!"

"B-but... I thought that if we had the power, we should do what we could...!" The boy insisted. The Rear Admiral's subordinate also insisted. It was high time to leave. But his superior silenced him with a movement of his hand.

"Only if you have the will! One without will cannot see anything through!" The man clarified. He turned heels and started leaving. Suddenly, Seren yelled after him.

"Your Excellency! Next time such a project is put into place, please make sure it isn't done in a civilian colony!" She requested. She was smiling very politely and amiably... but a black aura was leaking out! Her real feelings were overflowing! She was still very angry! Her childhood friend fearfully looked from one to the other and back again, stuttering, trying to do something. She was casually threatening, scolding and ordering a Rear Admiral of the Earth Army! And before that her father had just used that same person as a mere messenger!

"I'll do my best to prevent it." Halberton smiled, raised his hand, and left.

"What are you talking about?" Natarle asked Flay. Did she realize what she was saying? Now wasn't the time for her whims!

"I'm not saying this just for the fun of it. After my father was killed, I thought about a lot of things." The girl replied gravely. Hoffman instantly guessed she was the daughter of vice minister Allster. "Yes, I'm Flay Allster. I was in deep shock when my father was killed. 'I don't want anymore of this,' 'I don't want to be in a place like this,' that was all I thought about. But when we met up with the fleet and I realized I could finally land on Earth, I felt very uneasy about something!"

"Uneasy?"

"Should I really be feeling safe? Is this really peace? Not at all!" Flay started sobbing. Her grief, her pain, her determination, her will to do something... those were doubtlessly real. Those were her perfectly sincere feelings. And, still, her hands joined in her prayer, her expression, her tone, her countenance, the way she moved... were all so dramatic, theatrical, she was exactly like the heroine of a tragedy shining on a stage. "The world is still at war! Being in a neutral country I just didn't realize it. My father was working very hard to end the war. If fighting is the only way to bring true peace and relief... I want to carry on my father's will and fight on! Even though my strength may not be of much use to the military..." She cried in her hands. Her upbringing had been that of a lady, a princess, a doll, innocent, weak, ignorant, who just needed to laugh and look pretty every day and who would one day marry a good man. Her fiancé held her in his arms, comforted her, before she was taken away by the officers who had been completely convinced and persuaded by her and greatly sympathized. Even the usually very stern (if not scary-looking) ensign, wore a very soft, sad and empathic expression.

""The world is still at war" eh?" Sai repeated. They all looked at their Discharge Permission.

Kira and Seren were now at the back of the line of refugees waiting to board the shuttle. They were looking around, searching for their friends when Elle-chan, the adorable little pig-tailed girl, noticed them. She let go of her mother and went to hug them tightly. Then, from her little bag, she drew two paper flowers.

"Thank you for protecting us till now." She smiled sweetly and handed the flowers. The teens' eyes widened. They knelt down and most gratefully accepted those gifts that looked so tiny and trivial and yet meant so much to them. The child returned to her mother and waved. The two watched with a small smile.

Sai tore his discharge permission, surprising his friends. What Flay had said was actually what he had been feeling as well. Besides, he couldn't leave only her behind. Tolle tore his paper too. The Archangel was short-staffed after all. He would feel bad if it was shot down later. Milly also ripped her permission. If her boyfriend stayed then so would she. And since Kuzzey didn't want to be the only one leaving, he also ripped his paper. Tolle called Sai an idiot (for missing this chance). Sai replied that he was an idiot too. Tolle insisted and Sai accepted. They all laughed. But then Tolle saw Kira's and Seren's permissions. Those two would be sure to discharge.

In the Vesalius, the mechanics were taking care of the last checks. The mobile suits would take off in three minutes. Athrun boarded the Aegis and activated it with a determined and still pained look on his face. The Ziegler and the Gamow were undergoing similar preparations. And a poor soldier was doing his best to keep Yzak from going. Although the young pilot had been bandaged and had rested (a little), his wound was still serious. But the plea fell on deaf ears and annoyed the elite. His cool and handsome features distorted by rage and a mad thirst for revenge, he went to the Duel.

The line of refugees was quickly advancing with the two mobile suit pilots closing the line. In a minute, it would be over. It was then that Tolle called them from behind. He was accompanied by Milly, Kuzzey, and Sai. The Coordinators were surprised to see them still in their uniform, and they had been worried since none of them had been here. Tolle handed Kira a rolled paper, and Miriallia did the same with Seren. It was their discharge permission. They had all decided to stay with the Archangel, with the army. The childhood friends were shocked.

Suddenly, the fleet detected one Nazca-class and two Laurasia-class battleships. The estimated time before encountering the enemy was 15 minutes! Hoffman and Halberton cursed. At a time like this...

"Stop loading. Close bay. Has the Menelaos launched yet?" Ramius asked. She was answered by the negative. "Make them hurry! All hands, level one battle alert!" She too was extremely tense and resented this timing.

"You're staying? What do you mean? Kira demanded. Kuzzey replied that Flay had joined the military. The genetically enhanced humans were even more shocked. Even though she was always scared, even though she was always crying... she had decided to remain here despite the danger... Kira was scared for her and so was Seren, but the female Coordinator thought even further... did she hate all Coordinators that much? Her chest tightened. She brushed that thought away. And since Flay had joined, so had those four, because they couldn't leave her alone... The alarm rang. All hands were to take their level 1 battle stations.

"Hey, you over there! We're leaving!" A soldier warned them.

"Ha, please wait a moment, they're going!" Tolle yelled back. The two turned to him. "Think of this as fate! Bye! Make sure you reach Earth safely!" He pushed them towards the door of the shuttle.

"Stay alive!" Sai wished them luck.

"No matter what happens, please don't join ZAFT!" Kuzzey half joked. Milly was waving. They were all smiling. Anxious, scared, pained, confused, conflicted, the Coordinators gazed at them.

Mobile suits left the ZAFT ships. Athrun Zala took off. So did Yzak. Everyone wanted him to stay put because of his injury but he just ordered them to shut up and guide him out. He cursed the Strike and the Blast. This assault shroud would avenge his humiliation!

A soldier told Kira and Seren to hurry and board the shuttle. In the middle of the preparation for battle, they were staring off into space in the direction where their friends had gone. They had gone. They would go back into battle. La Flaga was also going to sortie. Or course. The repairs were finished. Trembling, the two looked at their discharge permission. Those guys... they had never once begged to be saved themselves or tried to manipulate them, use them or used their affection to their advantage. Always, they had done everything they could to protect them, support them, alleviate their burden, to save them... even now, those guys sincerely wished for them to be safe and happy, free from all the suffering they had to endure as pilots, having to kill their own kind, having to fight their friend... while they were going back into battle...

_Just what are we doing? What do we want to do? What must we do? _

To leave or to fight. They were trembling because they wanted both, to leave, and to protect.

Kira and Seren clutched their paper flower and raised them to their view.

_"Thank you for protecting us." _

_"Given the current situation, I imagine things will be hard on you even if you go down to Earth, but I wish you the best of luck."_

_"You have the power, so just do what you can."_

Their beautiful faces reflected all the violence and turbulence of their feelings. And soon, they understood. Their determination overcame their confusion, grief, and weaknesses. They crumpled their papers and told the soldiers to go without them. They threw the precious documents and flew away, staring at their paper flower. They had understood that even though they would certainly regret their current decision, it would be nothing compared to the regrets they would have felt had they gone like this.

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><p>If we could know ourselves just a little better, suppressing the voice inside that wants to run away, we ask ourselves 'what can we do?'. The moment we began to doubt we felt ourselves standing on our own two legs. We have no reason to keep pushing forward, but right now, we just have to. And unable to do anything we actually want to do, we bind 'ourselves' to 'responsibility'. But that too, is also our will.<p>

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><p><strong>Author's note: since only 2 people voted on the poll for now, I'm also asking here: who do think you'll I'll choose as final love interest, Kira or Athrun? (I've already decided by the way lol) You can answer by voting on the poll in my profile or by review or by PM (if you choose a review or a PM, it'd be nice if you explained the reason(s) why you selected the person you did :p). In her own reviews on this story, Daisuki1993 is telling you where to look for the hints. And I also thank her for her reviews :)<br>**

**Also, I think that for Seren's voice actress, I'd pick Sawashiro Miyuki... with the same pitch as the way she voiced Kusaribe Hakaze in Zetsuen no Tempest (Blast of Tempest). **


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